Method, apparatus, and computer program product for power save control for tethering connections

ABSTRACT

Example method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed for configuring a mobile wireless hotspot in a wireless network. Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising: establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channel with a wireless device, using an out-of-band communications connection in an out-of-band communications medium; and exchanging, by the wireless device over the control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, by at least one of transmitting or receiving in-band communications connectivity configuration information to enable power saving features and optimize activity times in an in-band communications tethering connection with the mobile hotspot device in an in-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspot device, communications between the wireless device and one or more entities in at least one of a wide area communications network and a wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

FIELD

The field of the invention relates to wireless communication, and moreparticularly to configuring a mobile wireless hotspot in a wirelessnetwork.

BACKGROUND

Modern society has adopted, and is becoming reliant upon, wirelesscommunication devices for various purposes, such as connecting users ofthe wireless communication devices with other users. Wirelesscommunication devices can vary from battery powered handheld devices tostationary household and/or commercial devices utilizing an electricalnetwork as a power source. Due to rapid development of the wirelesscommunication devices, a number of areas capable of enabling entirelynew types of communication applications have emerged.

Cellular networks facilitate communication over large geographic areas.These network technologies have commonly been divided by generations,starting in the late 1970s to early 1980s with first generation (1G)analog cellular telephones that provided baseline voice communications,to modern digital cellular telephones. GSM is an example of a widelyemployed 2G digital cellular network communicating in the 900 MHZ/1.8GHZ bands in Europe and at 850 MHz and 1.9 GHZ in the United States.While long-range communication networks, like GSM, are a well-acceptedmeans for transmitting and receiving data, due to cost, traffic andlegislative concerns, these networks may not be appropriate for all dataapplications.

Short-range communication technologies provide communication solutionsthat avoid some of the problems seen in large cellular networks.BLUETOOTH protocol is an example of a short-range wireless technologyquickly gaining acceptance in the marketplace. In addition to BLUETOOTHprotocol other short-range communication technologies include BLUETOOTHLow Energy, IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN), WirelessUSB, ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.4a), and ultra high frequencyradio frequency identification (UHF RFID) technologies. All of thesewireless communication technologies have features and advantages thatmake them appropriate for various applications.

Near field communication technologies, such as radio frequencyidentification (RFID) technologies, comprise a range of RF transmissionsystems, for example standardized and proprietary systems for a largenumber of different purposes, such as product tagging for inventoryhandling and logistics, theft prevention purposes at the point of sale,and product recycling at the end of the life-cycle of the taggedproduct. In addition to RFID technologies, Near Field Communication(NFC) technology has recently evolved from a combination of existingcontactless identification and interconnection technologies. NFC is botha “read” and “write” technology. Communication between twoNFC-compatible devices occurs when they are brought within closeproximity of each other: A simple wave or touch can establish an NFCconnection that may be used to exchange specific information for anothercommunications protocol, which may then be used to create an actualconnection in the other communications protocol, such as BLUETOOTHprotocol or wireless local area network (WLAN).

SUMMARY

Example method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments aredisclosed for configuring a mobile wireless hotspot in a wirelessnetwork.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channel with awireless device, using an out-of-band communications connection in anout-of-band communications medium; and

exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the control channel, withthe wireless device, by at least one of transmitting or receivingin-band communications connectivity configuration information to enablepower saving features and optimize activity times in an in-bandcommunications tethering connection with the wireless device in anin-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspotdevice, communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network and awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

receiving, by the mobile hotspot device, over the control channel, arequest from the wireless device for an in-band communications tetheringconnection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device, communicationsbetween the wireless device and a wide area communications network;

performing, by the mobile hotspot device, said exchanging over thecontrol channel, with the wireless device, of the in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information, in response to receiving therequest; and

transitioning, by the mobile hotspot device, from an in-bandcommunications idle state to an in-band communications active stateusing the power saving features and optimized activity times for thein-band communications tethering connection, in response to receivingthe request.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device, over the control channel, withthe wireless device, adjustments in the in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information to modify at least one of thepower saving features and optimized activity times in the in-bandcommunications tethering connection with the wireless device.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

transitioning, by the mobile hotspot device, from the in-bandcommunications active state to the in-band communications idle state ofthe in-band communications tethering connection, when no requests arereceived from any wireless device, for an in-band communicationstethering connection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device,communications between the any wireless device and a wide areacommunications network.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

wherein the out-of-band communications connection is one of a BLUETOOTHprotocol, a BLUETOOTH Low Energy, or a Near Field Communicationsconnection and the in-band communications tethering connection is a WLANconnection or another local connectivity channel having low power.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

reading, by a connectivity management system in the mobile hotspotdevice, device capabilities of the mobile hotspot device;

generating, by the connectivity management system in the mobile hotspotdevice, the in-band communications connectivity configurationinformation to enable the wireless device to connect to the mobilehotspot device as a tethered wireless device, the in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information including specification of thein-band tethering connection having a network name and passkey; and

receiving, by the connectivity management system in the mobile hotspotdevice, via the in-band communications medium from the wireless device,an in-band tethering connection request based on the in-bandcommunications connectivity configuration information.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device, via at least one of theout-of-band communications medium with the wireless device or via a widearea network connected to a server, at least one of an out-of-bandcommunications MAC address of the hotspot device, an out-of-bandcommunications MAC address of the wireless device, out-of-band pairinginformation, and shared secret information, for said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

establish a control channel with a wireless device, using an out-of-bandcommunications connection in an out-of-band communications medium; and

exchange over the control channel, with the wireless device, by at leastone of transmitting or receiving in-band communications connectivityconfiguration information to enable power saving features and optimizeactivity times in an in-band communications tethering connection withthe wireless device in an in-band communications medium, for relaying bythe apparatus, communications between the wireless device and one ormore entities in at least one of a wide area communications network anda wireless local area network provided by the apparatus.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive over the control channel, a request from the wireless device foran in-band communications tethering connection for relaying by theapparatus, communications between the wireless device and a wide areacommunications network;

perform said exchanging over the control channel, with the wirelessdevice, of the in-band communications connectivity configurationinformation, in response to receiving the request; and

transition from an in-band communications idle state to an in-bandcommunications active state using the power saving features andoptimized activity times for the in-band communications tetheringconnection, in response to receiving the request.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

exchange over the control channel, with the wireless device, adjustmentsin the in-band communications connectivity configuration information tomodify at least one of the power saving features and optimized activitytimes in the in-band communications tethering connection with thewireless device.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

transition from the in-band communications active state to the in-bandcommunications idle state of the in-band communications tetheringconnection, when no requests are received from any wireless device, foran in-band communications tethering connection for relaying by theapparatus, communications between the any wireless device and a widearea communications network.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

wherein the out-of-band communications connection is one of a BLUETOOTHprotocol, a BLUETOOTH Low Energy, or a Near Field Communicationsconnection and the in-band communications tethering connection is a WLANconnection or another local connectivity channel having low power.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

read, by a connectivity management system in the apparatus, devicecapabilities of the apparatus;

generate, by the connectivity management system in the apparatus, thein-band communications connectivity configuration information to enablethe wireless device to connect to the apparatus as a tethered wirelessdevice, the in-band communications connectivity configurationinformation including specification of the in-band tethering connectionhaving a network name and passkey; and

receive, by the connectivity management system in the apparatus, via thein-band communications medium from the wireless device, an in-bandtethering connection request based on the in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

exchange via at least one of the out-of-band communications medium withthe wireless device or via a wide area network connected to a server, atleast one of an out-of-band communications MAC address of the hotspotdevice, an out-of-band communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, out-of-band pairing information, and shared secret information,for said establishing of the control channel with the wireless device.

Example embodiments of the invention include a computer program productcomprising computer executable program code recorded on a computerreadable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable programcode comprising:

code for establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channelwith a wireless device, using an out-of-band communications connectionin an out-of-band communications medium; and

code for exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the controlchannel, with the wireless device, by at least one of transmitting orreceiving in-band communications connectivity configuration informationto enable power saving features and optimize activity times in anin-band communications tethering connection with the wireless device inan in-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspotdevice, communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network and awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with a mobilehotspot device, using an out-of-band communications connection in anout-of-band communications medium; and

exchanging, by the wireless device over the control channel, with themobile hotspot device, by at least one of transmitting or receivingin-band communications connectivity configuration information to enablepower saving features and optimize activity times in an in-bandcommunications tethering connection with the mobile hotspot device in anin-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspotdevice, communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network and awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

Example embodiments of the invention include a method comprising:

transmitting, by the wireless device, over the control channel, arequest to the mobile hotspot device for an in-band communicationstethering connection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device,communications between the wireless device and a wide areacommunications network;

performing, by the wireless device, said exchanging over the controlchannel, with the mobile hotspot device, of the in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information; and

establishing, by the wireless device, the in-band communicationstethering connection with the mobile hotspot device, using the powersaving features and optimized activity times for the in-bandcommunications tethering connection.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

establish a control channel with a mobile hotspot device, using anout-of-band communications connection in an out-of-band communicationsmedium; and

exchange over the control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, by atleast one of transmitting or receiving in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information to enable power saving featuresand optimize activity times in an in-band communications tetheringconnection with the mobile hotspot device in an in-band communicationsmedium, for relaying by the mobile hotspot device, communicationsbetween the apparatus and one or more entities in at least one of a widearea communications network and a wireless local area network providedby the mobile hotspot device.

Example embodiments of the invention include an apparatus comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

transmit over the control channel, a request to the mobile hotspotdevice for an in-band communications tethering connection for relayingby the mobile hotspot device, communications between the apparatus and awide area communications network;

perform said exchanging over the control channel, with the mobilehotspot device, of the in-band communications connectivity configurationinformation; and

establish the in-band communications tethering connection with themobile hotspot device, using the power saving features and optimizedactivity times for the in-band communications tethering connection.

Example embodiments of the invention include a computer program productcomprising computer executable program code recorded on a computerreadable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable programcode comprising:

code for establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with amobile hotspot device, using an out-of-band communications connection inan out-of-band communications medium; and

code for exchanging, by the wireless device over the control channel,with the mobile hotspot device, by at least one of transmitting orreceiving in-band communications connectivity configuration informationto enable power saving features and optimize activity times in anin-band communications tethering connection with the mobile hotspotdevice in an in-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobilehotspot device, communications between the wireless device and one ormore entities in at least one of a wide area communications network anda wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

The resulting embodiments configure a mobile wireless hotspot in awireless network.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an example network diagram of a mobile wireless hotspot deviceA and the other wireless device B, exchanging the BLUETOOTH protocol MACaddress of the hotspot device, the BLUETOOTH protocol MAC address of thewireless device, BLUETOOTH protocol pairing information, and sharedsecret for establishing the control channel, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1A is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1, establishing theBLUETOOTH protocol control channel, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1A, receiving, by themobile hotspot device, over the control channel, a request from thewireless device for a WLAN tethering connection for relaying by themobile hotspot device, communications between the wireless device andthe cellular telephone network, in accordance with example embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 1C is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1B, exchanging over thecontrol channel, by at least one of transmitting or receiving WLANconnectivity configuration information to enable power saving featuresand optimize activity times in A WLAN tethering connection with thewireless device, for relaying by the mobile hotspot device,communications between the wireless device and a cellular telephonenetwork, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1D is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1C, transitioning, bythe mobile hotspot device, from a WLAN idle state to a WLAN active stateusing the power saving features and optimized activity times for theWLAN tethering connection, in response to receiving the request, inaccordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1E is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1D, exchangingadjustments in the WLAN connectivity configuration information to modifyat least one of the power saving features and optimized activity timesin the WLAN tethering connection, in accordance with example embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 1F is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A of FIG. 1E, transitioning, by the mobile hotspot device, fromthe WLAN active state to the WLAN idle state of the WLAN tetheringconnection, when no requests are received from any wireless device, fora WLAN tethering connection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device,communications between the any wireless device and a cellular telephonenetwork, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1G is an example flow diagram of the operation of the mobile hotspot device, wherein tethering is active until there are no activeclients and then it goes into the idle state and may check that itscontrol radio is turned on and that all connected clients support thepower save feature. After receiving a tethering request from a client,it turns on mobile tethering and may also inform the client that it isup and running, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2A is an example functional block diagram of the mobile wirelesshotspot device A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1D, exchangingadjustments in the WLAN connectivity configuration information over theBLUETOOTH protocol control channel, to modify at least one of the powersaving features and optimized activity times in the WLAN tetheringconnection, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2B is an example functional block diagram of the mobile wirelesshotspot device A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 2A, exchangingadjustments in the WLAN connectivity configuration information over theNear Field Communications (NFC) control channel or another localconnectivity channel having low power, to modify at least one of thepower saving features and optimized activity times in the WLAN tetheringconnection, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3A is an example flow diagram of the process performed by mobilehotspot device, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3B is an example flow diagram of the process performed by the otherwireless device, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of the invention, whereinexamples of removable storage media are shown, based on magnetic,electronic and/or optical technologies, such as magnetic disks, opticaldisks, semiconductor memory circuit devices and micro-SD memory cards(SD refers to the Secure Digital standard) for storing data and/orcomputer program code as an example computer program product, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

DISCUSSION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

This section is organized into the following topics:

A. Wireless Short-Range Communication Networks

B. Connection Formation Between BLUETOOTH protocol Devices

C. WLAN Communication Technology

-   -   1, IEEE 802.11 WLAN    -   2. Wi-Fi Protected Setup/Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC)    -   3. Authentication in Wi-Fi Protected Setup/Wi-Fi Simple        Configuration    -   4. Wi-Fi Direct—Software Access Points

D. Near-Field Communication (NFC) Technology

E. Power Save Control For Tethering Connections

A. Wireless Short-Range Communication Networks

Short-range communication technologies provide communication solutionsappropriate for many data applications, without the cost, traffic andlegislative concerns of longer-range communication technologies.Short-range communication technologies include BLUETOOTH protocol basicrate/enhanced data rate (BR/EDR), BLUETOOTH Low Energy (LE), IEEE 802.11wireless local area network (WLAN), Wireless Universal Serial Bus(WUSB), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.4a), and near fieldcommunication technologies, such as radio frequency identification(RFID) and near field communication (NFC) technology that enablecontactless identification and interconnection of wireless devices.

B. Connection Formation Between BLUETOOTH Protocol Devices

A procedure for forming connections between BLUETOOTH protocol devicesis described in the BLUETOOTH protocol Specification, Version 4, Jun.30, 2010. The BLUETOOTH protocol Baseband is the part of the BLUETOOTHprotocol system that implements the Media Access Control (MAC) andphysical layer procedures to support the connection formation, exchangeof data information streams, and ad hoc networking between BLUETOOTHprotocol devices. Connection formation may include inquiry, inquiryscanning, inquiry response, in addition to paging, page scanning, andpage response procedures.

1. Inquiry

Inquiry is a procedure where a BLUETOOTH protocol device transmitsinquiry messages and listens for responses in order to discover theother BLUETOOTH protocol devices that are within the coverage area andset discoverable. BLUETOOTH protocol devices use the inquiry procedureto discover nearby devices, or to be discovered by devices in theirlocality. A BLUETOOTH protocol device that tries to find other nearbydevices is known as an inquiring device and actively sends inquiryrequests. BLUETOOTH protocol devices that are available to be found areknown as discoverable devices, listen or scan for these inquiryrequests, and send responses. The inquiry procedure uses dedicatedphysical channels for the inquiry requests and responses. The inquiryprocedure does not make use of any of the architectural layers above thephysical channel, although a transient physical link may be consideredto be present during the exchange of inquiry and inquiry responseinformation.

BLUETOOTH protocol devices communicate with one another over a totalbandwidth of 80 MHz divided into 79 physical channels of 1 MHz each. Aninquiring device wanting to discover other devices repetitively probes afirst set of 16 frequencies, probing two frequencies every 625microseconds. It repeats this at least 256 times. Then, it repetitivelyprobes a second set of 16 frequencies. The inquiring device will repeatentire cycle at least two times. Of the 79 radio carriers, 32 areconsidered wake-up carriers and the inquiring device Broadcasts inquirypackets on these 32 carrier frequencies.

During the inquiry procedure, the master transmits inquiry messages withthe general or dedicated inquiry access code. The timing for inquiry isthe same as for paging. The identity or ID packet consists of theinquiry access code (IAC). It has a fixed length of 68 bits. Thereceiver uses a bit correlator to match the received packet to the knownbit sequence of the ID packet. In order to discover other devices adevice may enter inquiry substate. In this substate, it may repeatedlytransmit the inquiry message (ID packet) at different hop frequencies.The inquiry hop sequence is derived from the Lower Address Part (LAP) ofthe General Inquiry Access Code (GIAC). Thus, even when dedicatedinquiry access codes (DIACs) are used, the applied hopping sequence isgenerated from the GIAC LAP. A device that allows itself to bediscovered, should regularly enter the inquiry scan substate to respondto inquiry messages. During the inquiry substate, the discovering devicemay collect the BLUETOOTH protocol device Addresses of all devices thatrespond to the inquiry message. In addition, the discovering device alsocollects extended information (e.g. local name and supported services)from devices that respond with an extended inquiry response packet. Itmay then, if desired, make a connection to any one of the discovereddevices by means of the page procedure described below. The inquirymessage broadcast by the source does not contain any information aboutthe source. However, it may indicate which class of devices shouldrespond. There is one general inquiry access code (GIAC) to inquire forany device, and a number of dedicated inquiry access codes (DIAC) thatonly inquire for a certain type of device. The inquiry access codes arederived from reserved BLUETOOTH protocol device addresses. There is onlyone DIAC defined in the BLUETOOTH protocol Specification, and it iscalled the Limited Inquiry Access Code (LIAC). The LIAC is only intendedto be used for limited time periods in scenarios where both devices havebeen explicitly caused to enter this state, usually by user action.

Inquiry scan is a procedure where a BLUETOOTH protocol device listensfor inquiry messages received on its inquiry scan physical channel. Adevice using one of its inquiry scan channels remains passive forduration of the inquiry scan window on that channel until it receives aninquiry message on this channel from another BLUETOOTH protocol device.This is identified by the appropriate inquiry access code. If theinquiry scanning device receives an inquiry message during scan windowit will then follow the inquiry response procedure to return a responseto the inquiring device. The inquiry scan substate is very similar tothe page scan substate. However, instead of scanning for the device'sdevice Access code, the receiver should scan for the inquiry access codelong enough to completely scan for 16 inquiry packets. The inquiryprocedure uses 32 dedicated inquiry hop frequencies according to theinquiry hopping sequence. These frequencies are determined by thegeneral inquiry address. The phase is determined by the native clock ofthe device carrying out the inquiry scan. Instead of, or in addition to,the general inquiry access code, the device may scan for one or morededicated inquiry access codes. However, the scanning may follow theinquiry scan hopping sequence determined by the general inquiry address.The inquiry scan interval may be less than or equal to 2.56 s.

2. Inquiry Response

An inquiry response packet (FHS) is transmitted from the slave to themaster after the slave has received an inquiry message. This packetcontains information necessary for the inquiring master to page theslave and follows 625 microseconds after the receipt of the inquirymessage. The inquiry response packet is received by the master at thehop frequency when the inquiry message received by the slave was firstin the master-to-slave slot. The slave response substate for inquiriesdiffers completely from the slave response substate applied for pages.When the inquiry message is received in the inquiry scan substate, therecipient shall return an inquiry response (FHS) packet containing therecipient's device Address (BD_ADDR) and other parameters. If therecipient has non-zero extended inquiry response data to send, it mayreturn an extended inquiry response packet after the FHS packet. On thefirst inquiry message received in the inquiry scan sub state the slavemay enter the inquiry response substate. If the slave has non-zeroextended inquiry response data to send it may return an FHS packet, withthe extended inquiry response bit set to one, to the master 625microseconds after the inquiry message was received. It may then returnan extended inquiry response packet 1250 microseconds after the start ofthe FHS packet. If the slave's extended inquiry response data is allzeroes the slave may only return an FHS packet with the extended inquiryresponse bit set to zero.

A contention problem could arise when several devices are in closeproximity to the inquiring device or master and all respond to aninquiry message at the same time. However, because every device has afree running clock it is highly unlikely that they all use the samephase of the inquiry hopping sequence. In order to avoid repeatedcollisions between devices that wake up in the same inquiry hop channelsimultaneously, a device will back-off for a random period of time.Thus, if the device receives an inquiry message and returns an FHSpacket, it will generate a random number, RAND, between 0 and MAX_RAND.For scanning intervals greater than or equal to 1.28 seconds MAX_RANDwill be 1023, however, for scanning intervals less than 1.28s MAX_RANDmay be as small as 127. A profile that uses a DIAC may choose to use asmaller MAX_RAND than 1023 even when the scanning interval is greaterthan or equal to 1.28s. The slave will return to the CONNECTION orSTANDBY state for the duration of at least RAND time slots. Beforereturning to the CONNECTION and STANDBY state, the device may go throughthe page scan substate. After at least RAND slots, the device will addan offset of 1 to the phase in the inquiry hop sequence (the phase has a1.28 second resolution) and return to the inquiry scan sub state again.If the slave is triggered again, it will repeat the procedure using anew RAND. The offset to the clock accumulates each time an FHS packet isreturned. During a period when the inquiry device is broadcastinginquiry packets, a slave may respond multiple times, but on differentfrequencies and at different times. Reserved synchronous slots shouldhave priority over response packets; that is, if a response packetoverlaps with a reserved synchronous slot, it will not be sent, but thenext inquiry message is awaited. If a device has extended inquiryresponse data to send, but the extended inquiry response packet overlapswith a reserved synchronous slot, the FHS packet may be sent with theEIR bit set to zero.

The messaging during the inquiry routines is summarized as follows:

In step 1, the master transmits an inquiry message using the inquiryaccess code and its own clock.

In step 2, the slave responds with the FHS packet containing the slave'sBLUETOOTH protocol device Address, native clock and other slaveinformation. This FHS packet is returned at times that tend to berandom. The FHS packet is not acknowledged in the inquiry routine, butit is retransmitted at other times and frequencies as long as the masteris probing with inquiry messages.

In step 3, if the slave has non-zero extended inquiry response data, itsends an extended inquiry response packet to the master.

3. Extended Inquiry Response

An Extended Inquiry Response may be used to provide miscellaneousinformation during the inquiry response procedure. Data types aredefined for such things as local name and supported services,information that otherwise would have to be obtained by establishing aconnection. A device that receives a local name and a list of supportedservices in an extended inquiry response does not have to connect to doa remote name request and a service discovery protocol (SDP) servicesearch, thereby shortening the time to useful information. If the slavetransmits an extended inquiry response packet, it is transmitted 1250microseconds after the start of the inquiry response packet. Theextended inquiry response packet is received by the master at the hopfrequency when the inquiry message received by the slave was first inthe master-to-slave slot. The extended inquiry response packet is anAsynchronous Connection-oriented Logical transport (ACL) data mediumrate (DM) packet with type DM1, DM3, DM5, DH1, DH3 or DH5. To minimizeinterference it is recommended to use the shortest packet that iscapable of containing the data. The packet is sent on the same frequencyas the (frequency hop synchronization) FHS packet, 1250 microsecondsafter the start of the FHS packet. In the packet header, the logicaltransport address (LT_ADDR) may be set to zero. TYPE may be one of DM1,DM3, DM5, DH1, DH3 or DH5. FLOW, ARQN and SEQN may all be set to zeroand ignored during receipt. (ARQN is automatic repeat addressacknowledgement indication and SEQN is sequential numbering scheme.) Theheader error check (HEC) linear feedback shift register (LFSR) may beinitialized with the same default check initialization (DCI) as for theFHS packet. In the payload header, logical link identifier (LLID) maycontain the value 10 (start of a logical link control and adaptationcontrol (L2CAP) message or no fragmentation). FLOW may be set to zeroand ignored upon receipt. The length of the payload body (LENGTH) may besmaller than or equal to 240 bytes. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC)linear feedback shift register (LFSR) may be initialized with the sameDCI as for the FHS packet. The data whitening LFSR may be initializedwith the same value as for the FHS packet. The length of the payloadbody (LENGTH) may be smaller than or equal to 240 bytes. The CRC LFSRmay be initialized with the same DCI as for the FHS packet. The datawhitening LFSR may be initialized with the same value as for the FHSpacket. The payload data has two parts, a significant part followed by anon-significant part. The significant part contains a sequence of datastructures. The non-significant part contains all zero octets. Thebaseband may not change any octets in the significant part. Whentransmitting data, the non-significant part octets may be omitted fromthe payload. A device may store a single extended inquiry responsepacket. This packet may be used with all inquiry access codes (IACs).

4. Page

Page is the initial phase of the connection procedure where a devicetransmits a train of page messages until a response is received from thetarget device, is stopped by host or a timeout occurs. Page scan is aprocedure where a device listens for page messages received on its pagescan physical channel. In forming a connection, the paging device willbecome the master and the page scan device will become the slave in apiconet. Initially, after the slave has received an inquiry message, aninquiry response packet is transmitted from the slave to the master. Theinquiry response packet sent from the slave contains informationnecessary for the inquiring master to page the slave, such as BLUETOOTHprotocol device Address of the slave device. The necessary informationmay be received by other means, such as Out-Of-Band pairing. Also thepage is not away always preceded with inquiry, because the address maybe known beforehand (for example saved from previous connections). Inthe paging procedure, the BLUETOOTH protocol device that will become themaster carries out a page procedure by transmitting page messages inconnection request packets to the specified BLUETOOTH protocol slavedevice that carries out a page scanning procedure to listen forconnection request packets from the paging device. A connectableBLUETOOTH protocol device listens for a page request on its page scanchannel and, once received, enters into a sequence of exchanges with thepaging device. In order for a device to connect to another device, itperforms frequency hopping all page scan channel frequencies, sending apage request on each frequency and listening for a response. The pagescan channel uses an access code derived from the scanning device'sBLUETOOTH protocol device Address BD_ADDR to identify communications onthe channel. The page scan channel uses a slower hopping rate than thehop rate of the paging device, using the BLUETOOTH protocol device clockof the scanning device as an input. A device listening on its page scanchannel remains passive until it receives a page request from anotherBLUETOOTH protocol device, identified by the page scan channel accesscode. The two devices will then follow the page procedure to form aconnection where the paging device is the master and the page scandevice is the slave in a piconet. In order for a paging device toconnect to another BLUETOOTH protocol device, it uses the page scanchannel of the target device in order to send page requests. If thepaging device does not know the phase of the target device's page scanchannel, it does not know the current hop frequency of the targetdevice. Therefore, the paging device transmits page requests on each ofthe page scan hop frequencies and listens for a page response. This isdone at a faster hop rate, allowing the paging device to cover all pagescan frequencies in a short period of time. The paging device may havesome knowledge of the target device's BLUETOOTH protocol clock, such asindicated during a previous inquiry transaction between the two devices,and may be able to predict the phase of the target device's page scanchannel. It may use this information to optimize the synchronization ofthe paging and page scanning process and speed up the formation of theconnection.

5. Service Discovery Protocol (SDP)

BLUETOOTH protocol devices are designed to find other BLUETOOTH protocoldevices within their radio communications range and to discover whatservices they offer, using a service discovery protocol (SDP). The SDPsearching function relies on links being established between therequesting BLUETOOTH protocol device in a client role and the respondingBLUETOOTH protocol device in a server role. Once a link has beenestablished, it can be used to find out about services in the respondingBLUETOOTH protocol device and how to connect to them.

Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) is used to allow devices to discoverwhat services each other support, and what parameters to use to connectto them. For example, when connecting a mobile phone to a BLUETOOTHprotocol headset, SDP will be used to determine which BLUETOOTH protocolprofiles are supported by the headset (headset profile, hands freeprofile, advanced audio distribution profile, etc.) and the protocolmultiplexor settings needed to connect to each of them. Each service isidentified by a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), with officialservices (BLUETOOTH protocol profiles) assigned a short form UUID (16bits rather than the full 128).

C. WLAN Communication Technology

1. IEEE 802.11 WLAN

The IEEE 802.11 standard specifies methods and techniques of anexemplary wireless local area network (WLAN) operation. examples includethe IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g wireless local area network specifications,which have been a staple technology for traditional WLAN applications inthe 2.4 GHz ISM band. The various amendments to the IEEE 802.11 standardwere consolidated for IEEE 802.11a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j, k, n, r, s, u,v, and z protocols, into the base standard IEEE 802.11-2012, WirelessMedium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications,February 2012 (incorporated herein by reference). Since then, emergingbroadband applications have stimulated interest in developing veryhigh-speed wireless networks for short range communication, for example,the planned IEEE 802.11 ac, and the planned IEEE 802.11 ad WLANspecifications that are to provide a very high throughput in higherfrequency bands. Applications of these IEEE 802.11 standards includeproducts such as consumer electronics, telephones, personal computers,and access points for both for home and office.

An IEEE 802.11 WLAN may be organized as an independent basic service set(IBSS) or an infrastructure basic service set (BSS). The access point(AP) in an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) IEEE 802.11 WLANnetwork, is a central hub that must relay all communication between themobile wireless devices (STAs) in an infrastructure BSS. If a STA in aninfrastructure BSS wishes to communicate a frame of data to a secondSTA, the communication must take two hops. First, the originating STAtransfers the frame to the AP. Second, the AP transfers the frame to thesecond STA. In an infrastructure BSS, the AP either transmits Beacons orresponds to probes received from STAs for discover purposes. After apossible authentication of a STA that is conducted by the AP, anassociation occurs between the AP and a STA enabling data traffic to beexchanged with the AP. The Access Point (AP) in an Infrastructure BSSmay bridge traffic out of the BSS onto a distribution network.

The IEEE 802.11 WLAN uses two types of transmission: DistributedCoordination Function (DCF) and Point Coordination Function (PCF). DCFemploys Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance(CSMA/CA). Every packet sent is positively acknowledged by the receiver.A transmission begins with a Request to Send (RTS) and the receiverresponds with a Clear to Send (CTS). The channel is cleared by these twomessages, since all STAs that hear the CTS will suppress their own startof a transmission. Then when data packets are transmitted, each has aNetwork Allocation Vector (NAV) containing a duration value to reservethe channel for the sender and receiver for an interval after thecurrent packet, equal to the NAV duration. The value of the NAVdecrements with the passage of time. Once the sender and receiver havereserved the channel, they may hold it for the remaining duration of theNAV value. The last acknowledgement packet (ACK) contains a NAV value ofzero, to immediately release the channel. The Point CoordinationFunction (PCF) is a polling method among the STAs of the BSS, which iscoordinated by the access point.

IEEE 802.11 authentication operates at the link level between IEEE802.11 STAs. IEEE Std 802.11 attempts to control LAN access via theauthentication service. IEEE 802.11 authentication is a station servicethat may be used by all STAs to establish their identity to STAs withwhich they communicate in both infrastructure and IBSS networks. If amutually acceptable level of authentication has not been establishedbetween two STAs, then an association is not established. IEEE 802.11defines two authentication methods: Open System authentication andShared Key authentication. Open System authentication admits any STA tothe distribution system. Shared Key authentication relies on wiredequivalent privacy to demonstrate knowledge of an encryption key. TheIEEE 802.11 authentication mechanism also allows definition of newauthentication methods. A robust security network association (RSNA)supports authentication based on IEEE 802.1X-2004, or preshared keys(PSKs). IEEE 802.1X authentication utilizes the ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol (EAP) (IETF RFC 3748-2004) to authenticate STAsand an authentication server (AS) with one another. In IEEE 802.1X, aSTA being authenticated and the authenticator device exchange protocolinformation via the IEEE 802.1X Uncontrolled Port. The IEEE 802.1XControlled Port is blocked from passing general data traffic between twoSTAs until an IEEE 802.1X authentication procedure completessuccessfully over the IEEE 802.1X Uncontrolled Port.

The access point (AP) in an infrastructure BSS assists those mobilewireless devices (STAs) attempting to save power. The legacy IEEE802.11e Wireless LAN standards provides for support of low poweroperation in handheld and battery operated STAs, called automatic powersave delivery (APSD). A STA capable of APSD and currently in the powersaving mode, will wake up at predetermined beacons received from the APto listen to a Traffic Indication Map (TIM). If existence of bufferedtraffic waiting to be sent to the STA is signaled through the TIM, theSTA will remain awake until AP sends out all the data. The STA does notneed to send a polling signal to the AP to retrieve data, which is thereason for the term “automatic” in the acronym APSD.

A Traffic Indication Map (TIM) is a field transmitted in beacon frames,used to inform associated wireless client devices that the access pointhas buffered data waiting to be transmitted to them. Access pointsbuffer frames of data for wireless client devices while they aresleeping in a low-power state. The access point transmits beacons at aregular interval, the target beacon transmission time (TBTT). TheTraffic Indication Map (TIM) information element in the periodicallytransmitted beacon frame, indicates which wireless client devices havebuffered data waiting to be accessed in the access point. Each frame ofbuffered data is identified by an association identifier (AID)associated with a specific wireless client device. The AID is used tologically identify the wireless client device to which buffered framesof data are to be delivered. The traffic indication map (TIM) contains abitmap, with each bit relating to a specific association identifier(AID). When data is buffered in the access point for a particularassociation identifier (AID), the bit is “1”. If no data is buffered,the bit for the association identifier (AID) is “0”. Wireless clientdevices must wake up and listen for the periodic beacon frames toreceive the Traffic Indication Map (TIM). By examining the TIM, awireless client device may determine if the access point has buffereddata waiting for it. To retrieve the buffered data, the wireless clientdevice may use a power-save poll (PS-Poll) frame. After transmitting thePS-Poll frame, the client mobile station may stay awake until itreceives the buffered data or until the bit for its associationidentifier (AID) in the Traffic Indication Map (TIM) is no longer set to“1”, indicating that the access point has discarded the buffered data.

Two variations of the APSD feature are unscheduled automatic power savedelivery (U-APSD) and scheduled automatic power save delivery (S-APSD).In U-APSD, the access point (AP) is always awake and hence a mobilewireless device (STA) in the power save mode may send a trigger frame tothe AP when the STA wakes up, to retrieve any queued data at the AP. InS-APSD, the AP assigns a schedule to a STA and the STA wakes up, sends apower save poll packet to the AP in order to retrieve from the AP anydata queued. An AP may maintain multiple schedules either with the sameSTA or with different STAs in the infrastructure BSS network. Since theAP is never in sleep mode, an AP will maintain different scheduledperiods of transmission with different STAs in the infrastructure BSSnetwork to ensure that the STAs get the maximum power savings.

2. Wi-Fi Protected Setup/Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC)

Network setup for IEEE 801.11 WLANs has been simplified by the Wi-FiProtected Setup™ system that is included in most access points. TheWi-Fi Alliance published the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) specification1.0, Wi-Fi Protected Setup Specification, Version 1.0h, December 2006(incorporated herein by reference). The Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC)Specification, Version 2.0, Dec. 20, 2010, (incorporated herein byreference), updates the Wi-Fi Protected Setup Specification, Version1.0h. The acronym WSC, for Wi-Fi Simple Configuration Specification, maybe used interchangeably with the acronym WPS, for Wi-Fi Protected Setup.Wi-Fi Protected Setup facilitates the initial setting up of IEEE 802.11devices in a Wi-Fi infrastructure network so that they may be moreeasily configured with security features and so that that new Wi-Fidevices may be added to the network. Wi-Fi Protected Setup allows accesspoints to be set up by entering a PIN. The Protected Setup system usesthis information to send data to a computer connected to the accesspoint, to complete the network setup. Wi-Fi Protected Setup defines newIEEE 802.11 information elements (IE) that are included in beacons,probe requests and probe responses. The purpose of these IEs is toadvertise the presence of devices that are capable of performing Wi-FiProtected Setup operations.

Initial discovery of Wi-Fi Simple Configuration devices is accomplishedusing IEEE 802.11 Information Elements in management frames (Beacon,Probe Request, and Probe Response). If the Enrollee decides to pursue aconnection to the network, it initiates an IEEE 802.1X/EAP connectionfor the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)-based RegistrationProtocol. The Wi-Fi Simple Configuration Information Element complieswith the IEEE 802.11 Information Element format and indicates specificdata necessary for network information, capabilities and modes, toconfigure an Enrollee for the wireless network and to report problemswith the Enrollee associating with a specified wireless network with thesupplied settings.

The Wi-Fi Protected Setup 1.0 standard defines three types of componentsin a network: a Registrar, an Enrollee, and an Access Point (AP). ARegistrar is a component with the authority to issue and revokecredentials to a network. A Registrar may be integrated into an AP or itmay be separate from the AP. An Enrollee is a component seeking to joina wireless LAN network. An Authenticator is an AP functioning as a proxybetween a Registrar and an Enrollee. A Registrar wireless deviceconfigures the Enrollee wireless device, and the AP acts as anAuthenticator to proxy the relevant messages between the Registrar andthe Enrollee. The messages exchanged in the session are a series ofExtensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) request/response messages,ending with the Enrollee reconnecting to the network with its newconfiguration. EAP is an authentication framework defined in RFC 5247,for providing the transport and usage of keying material and parametersneeded to establish a secure Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi SimpleConfiguration Specification, Version 2.0, Dec. 20, 2010, (incorporatedherein by reference), updates the Wi-Fi Protected Setup Specification,Version 1.0h.

A standalone AP that supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup, includes a built-inRegistrar and does not use an external Registrar. In initial WLAN setupwith Wi-Fi Protected Setup, when initializing in a standalone mode, aWi-Fi Protected Setup AP automatically chooses a random SSID andchannel. A standalone AP that includes a Wi-Fi Protected SetupRegistrar, issues keys to Enrollees via the Registration Protocol.

When an Enrollee is initialized, it looks for Beacons from APs and sendsprobe requests with the WSC information element (IE), into eitherselected networks or into each network sequentially. It may also sendprobe requests to each IEEE 802.11 channel with the WSC IE included. Itlooks for the WSC IE in probe-responses that it receives and can engagewith one or more Registrars to further discover Registrar capabilitiesand to see if the user has selected a Registrar. The Enrollee maycontinue looking for selected Registrar flags in Beacons,probe-responses and any M2 messages and may cease scanning when it findsa Registrar indicating that it is prepared to configure the Enrollee.

The following example describes an example in-band setup procedure usingWi-Fi Protected Setup for adding Member devices using a StandaloneAP/Registrar. The user may convey the Enrollee's device password to theAP/Registrar using keyboard entry or an out-of-band channel with

Near-Field Communication (NFC) Connection Handover. This example doesnot show the exchange of preliminary M1 and M2D messages that may takeplace after the probe message exchange, because the Enrollee may bewaiting for the user to configure the AP/Registrar with the Enrollee'sdevice password.

1. The Enrollee sends its Discovery data in a probe request to a Wi-FiProtected Setup AP or ad hoc wireless Registrar. The AP or wirelessRegistrar responds with its own Discovery data in the probe response.

2. The user may be prompted to enter the Enrollee's device password intothe AP/Registrar using a keypad interface or an out-of-band channel.

3. The Enrollee connects and initiates the IEEE 802.1X port-basedNetwork Access Control procedure for port-based authentication.

4. The Enrollee and Registrar exchange messages M1-M8 to provision theEnrollee.

5. The Enrollee disassociates and reconnects, using its new WLANauthentication Credential. The Enrollee is now connected to the networkwith its new configuration.

3. Authentication in Wi-Fi Protected Setup/Wi-Fi Simple Configuration

The Wi-Fi Simple Configuration Specification, Version 2.0 (renamed fromthe original name “Wi-Fi Protected Setup”), uses the IEEE 802.1XPort-Based Authentication and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)to transport in-band Registration Protocol messages. This protocol ismapped onto a custom EAP method described below. Wi-Fi SimpleConfiguration does not require the AP to support remote authenticationdial-in user service (RADIUS) (IETF RFC 2865-2000), and the network neednot include an authentication server. In fact, many Wi-Fi SimpleConfiguration APs may support IEEE 802.1X only to configure Wi-FiProtected Access 2 (WPA2)-Personal Credentials using Wi-Fi SimpleConfiguration. Enrollees using Wi-Fi Simple Configuration are notgranted direct access to the WLAN through the Wi-Fi Simple Configurationcustom EAP method. The EAP method is used to configure the Enrollee witha Credential that can be used subsequently with whatever access methodis supported by that WLAN. For example, if the AP only supportsWPA2-Personal with a network-wide shared Pre-Shared Key (PSK), then theEnrollee would run the 802.1X exchange to obtain the PSK, disassociate,and then reconnect and use WPA2-Personal to access the WLAN.Alternatively, if the AP supports 802.1X authentication, the Enrolleemay first run the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration EAP method to obtain ashared secret Credential and then reconnect using that secret inconjunction with another EAP method to access the WLAN.

The Wi-Fi Simple Configuration EAP method (EAP-WSC) can be used forRegistrar and Enrollee discovery and for Credential establishment. Thefirst time the Enrollee encounters a new WLAN, it sends out itsDiscovery information and executes the EAP-WSC method. In both theDiscovery message and in Registration Protocol Message M1, the Enrolleeprovides information about itself to the WLAN. The M2 and M2D messagessent to the Enrollee likewise provide information about the availableRegistrars. When the Enrollee first discovers and attempts to connect tothe WLAN, the WLAN's Registrar(s) may not yet know the Enrollee's devicepassword. Therefore, Registrars without the device password respond withM2D messages. Although these M2D messages are unauthenticated, they canhelp Enrollees with rich user interfaces, to guide the user through theenrollment process.

As the Enrollee scans over the M2D messages sent by the network, it maydiscover that none of them possesses its device password. At this point,the Enrollee has an opportunity to prompt the user to perform a trustbootstrapping operation such as connecting an available out-of-bandchannel or entering a device password into one of the availableRegistrars. If the user decides to enter the Enrollee's device passwordinto the Registrar, the Enrollee can reconnect and run the EAP methodonce more to perform the complete Registration Protocol. If the Enrolleehas no user interface to lead the user through the enrollment, it islikely that one or more of the WLAN's Registrars can do this. Both theRegistrar and the Enrollee are given sufficient information about eachothers' capabilities through the EAP method to successfully lead theuser through the enrollment. If the user decides to use an out-of-bandchannel for registration, then message M2 is implicitly authenticated bythe channel and can carry the network configuration data.

The AP functions as the EAP authenticator on the WLAN. Thus, the APgenerates EAP Request messages and Enrollees and Registrars generate EAPResponses. If the Registrar is external to the AP, then it usesuniversal plug and play (UPnP) to exchange Registration Protocolmessages with the AP. A Registrar may also function in the role of an802.1X authenticator, which is useful for networks with legacy APs.

The Wi-Fi Simple Configuration EAP method uses EAP, as specified in RFC3748, and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) over LAN (EAPoL), asspecified in IEEE 802.1X-2001, but does not represent a networkauthentication protocol. Rather Wi-Fi Simple Configuration utilizes the802.1X data connection for acquiring settings necessary for connectingto the network and the resulting EAP exchange must always terminate withEAP-Failure.

When the Enrollee decides to connect to the network and run the Wi-FiSimple Configuration EAP method, it associates with the AP and sends anEAPoL-Start message. The AP responds with an EAP-Request/Identity. TheEnrollee sends an EAP-Response/Identity containing the defined Wi-FiAlliance name for a Simple Configuration Enrollee(“WFA-SimpleConfig-Enrollee-1-0”). This causes the AP to start runningthe Simple Configuration EAP method. The Registration Protocol messagesare exchanged until M8 is received and validated by the Enrollee. If itsuccessfully processes M8, the Enrollee sends an EAP-Response/Donemessage to the authenticator, which sends the WSC_Done message to anyExternal Registrar and the authenticator returns an EAP-Failure messageto the Enrollee. An Enrollee should assume that the received credentialsare valid after successfully processing message M8 and sending theWSC_Done message. The Enrollee then disassociates and reconnects withthe Credential obtained from M8's ConfigData. If M2D is received by theEnrollee, it should respond with an ACK message so that the AP cancontinue to send it discovery messages from other Registrars. After theAP sends an EAP-failure to the Enrollee, the Enrollee can do one of twothings (given that the AP did not de-authenticate the Enrollee aftersending the EAP-Failure): it can disconnect from the AP and reconnectsome time later to rerun the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration EAP method bysending an EAPoL-Start message or it can stay connected to the AP andrerun the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration EAP method by sending anotherEAPoL-Start message.

Once the Enrollee sends an M3 message, both the Registrar and theEnrollee must proceed in lock-step fashion until either a failure oruntil success occurs (indicated by the Done response message). If theEnrollee (IEEE 802.1X supplicant) detects any errors in these laterphases, it responds by sending a NACK message and transitioning to thetermination state to terminate the connection. At this point, theEnrollee computes a fresh device password for use in the next instanceof the Registration Protocol. If the same password is reused withmultiple instances of the protocol, it will be susceptible to activeattack.

The Registration Protocol Messages M1 to M8 are described in the Wi-FiSimple Configuration Specification, Version 2.0. They include anexchange of public keys, description of the sending device, includingits MAC address and device capabilities, and various messageauthentication values, culminating in the Registrar sending to theEnrollee credentials for accessing the network.

A credential is a data structure issued by a Registrar to an Enrollee,allowing the latter to gain access to the network. With out-of-bandconfiguration, WLAN credentials are sent across the out-of-band channelto the Enrollee. The NFC interfaces operating in peer-to-peer modebetween an AP or Group Owner (GO) having an integrated Registrar and anEnrollee device, have the strongest security properties supported by theWi-Fi Simple Configuration Specification, because practicalman-in-the-middle attacks against NFC are not feasible. In this mode, a1536-bit Diffie-Hellman exchange is performed over the NFC interface,and WLAN settings are encrypted using 128-bit Advanced EncryptionStandard (AES) and delivered over the same interface between an AP orGroup Owner (GO) and an Enrollee device. The Diffie-Hellman public keysand WLAN settings are implicitly authenticated by both the Registrar andthe Enrollee, because they are received over the NFC channel.

4. Wi-Fi Direct—Software Access Points

The Wi-Fi Alliance has developed a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer technology namedWi-Fi Direct™ that is specified in the Wi-Fi Alliance Peer-to-PeerSpecification, October 2010 (incorporated herein by reference). Wi-FiDirect, is also referred to herein as Peer-to-Peer or P2P. Wi-Fi Directenables IEEE 802.11a, g, or n devices to connect to one another,peer-to-peer, without prior setup or the need for wireless accesspoints. Wi-Fi Direct embeds a software access point into any device,which provides a version of Wi-Fi Protected Setup. When a device entersthe range of a STA supporting Wi-Fi Direct (a Wi-Fi Direct device), itcan connect to it and then gather setup information using a Wi-FiProtected Setup transfer. Devices that support Wi-Fi Direct may discoverone another and advertise available services. Wi-Fi Direct devicessupport typical Wi-Fi ranges and the same data rates as can be achievedwith an 802.11a, g, or n infrastructure connection. When a device entersthe range of the Wi-Fi Direct device, it may connect to it using theexisting protocol, and then gather setup information using a Wi-FiProtected Setup 2.0 transfer.

Wi-Fi Direct enables IEEE 802.11 devices that support Wi-Fi Direct, toconnect to one another, point-to-point. The specification may beimplemented in any Wi-Fi device. Devices that support the specificationwill be able to discover one another and advertise available services.Wi-Fi Direct devices will support typical Wi-Fi ranges and the same datarates as can be achieved with an infrastructure connection. Wi-Fi Directprovides point-to-point connections for networks by embedding a softwareaccess point into any device that wishes to support Wi-Fi Direct. Thesoft AP provides a version of Wi-Fi Protected Setup 2.0. When a deviceenters the range of the Wi-Fi Direct device, it may connect to it usingthe existing protocol, and then gather setup information using a Wi-FiProtected Setup 2.0 transfer.

Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices may create direct connections betweenWi-Fi client devices without requiring the presence of a traditionalWi-Fi infrastructure network of an access point or router. Wi-FiDirect-certified devices support connection with existing legacy Wi-Fidevices using the IEEE 802.11 a/g/n protocols. Wi-Fi Direct DeviceDiscovery and Service Discovery features allow users to identifyavailable devices and services before establishing a connection, forexample, discovering which Wi-Fi device is a printer.

A Wi-Fi Direct device may support an infrastructure network of an accesspoint or router in addition to a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection. Wi-FiDirect devices may join infrastructure networks as stations (STAs) andmay support Wi-Fi Protected Setup enrollee functionality. Wi-Fi Directdevices may connect by forming Groups in a one-to-one or one-to-manytopology. The Groups functions in a manner similar to an infrastructurebasic service set (BSS). A single Wi-Fi Direct device will be the GroupOwner (GO) that manages the Group, including controlling which devicesare allowed to join and when the Group is started or terminated. TheGroup Owner (GO) will appear as an access point to legacy client'sdevices.

Wi-Fi Direct devices include a Wi-Fi Protected Setup Internal Registrarfunctionality and communication between Clients in the Group. Wi-FiDirect devices may be a Group Owner (GO) of a Group and may be able tonegotiate which device adopts this role when forming a Group withanother Wi-Fi Direct device. A Group may include both Wi-Fi Directdevices and legacy devices (i.e., that are not compliant with the Wi-FiAlliance Peer-to-Peer Specification). Legacy Devices can only functionas Clients within a Group.

Wi-Fi Direct devices support Discovery mechanisms. Device Discovery isused to identify other Wi-Fi Direct devices and establish a connectionby using a scan similar to that used to discover infrastructure accesspoints. If the target is not already part of a Group, a new Group may beformed. If the target is already part of a Group, the searching Wi-FiDirect device may attempt to join the existing Group. Wi-Fi ProtectedSetup may be used to obtain credentials from the Group Owner (GO) andauthenticate the searching Wi-Fi Direct device. Wi-Fi Direct devices mayinclude Service Discovery that enables the advertisement of servicessupported by higher layer applications to other Wi-Fi Direct devices.Service Discovery may be performed at any time (e.g. even before aconnection is formed) with any other discovered Wi-Fi Direct device.

A Group may be created by a single Wi-Fi Direct device, such as whenconnecting a legacy device. When forming a connection between two Wi-FiDirect devices, a Group may be formed automatically and the devices maynegotiate to determine which device is the Group Owner. The Group Ownermay decide if this is a temporary (single instance) or persistent(multiple, recurring use) Group. After a Group is formed, a Wi-Fi Directdevice may invite another Wi-Fi Direct device to join the Group. Thedecision of whether or not to accept an invitation may be left to theinvited Wi-Fi Direct device.

Wi-Fi Direct Devices may participate in multiple Groups. A Wi-Fi DirectDevice that may be in a Group while maintaining a WLAN infrastructureconnection at the same time is considered a Concurrent Device or a dualstack device. For example, a laptop connected directly to a printerwhile simultaneously using a WLAN connection is operating as aConcurrent Device. Concurrent connections may be supported by a singleradio and may support connections on different channels. Concurrentoperation may be supported by multiple protocol stacks, for example, onefor operation as a WLAN-STA and one for operating as a Wi-Fi Directdevice. For example, two separate physical MAC entities may bemaintained, each associated with its own PHY entity, or they may use asingle PHY entity supporting two virtual MAC entities.

The Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer Technical Specification v1.1, 2010 published bythe Wi-Fi Alliance, provides for provisioning in Wi-Fi Direct networks.Provisioning is a phase of peer-to-peer group formation in whichcredentials for the peer-to-peer group are exchanged based on the use ofWi-Fi Simple Configuration. Credentials are information that is requiredto join a peer-to-peer group as defined in the Wi-Fi SimpleConfiguration Specification.

To allow for peer-to-peer device configuration, peer-to-peer devices maydelay starting the provisioning phase until the expiration of the largerof the peer-to-peer group owner's (GO) configuration time and thepeer-to-peer client's client configuration time, based on respectiveconfiguration timeout attributes exchanged during a preceding groupowner negotiation.

The peer-to-peer device selected as peer-to-peer group owner (GO) duringgroup owner negotiation may start a peer-to-peer group session using thecredentials it intends to use for that group. The peer-to-peer groupowner (GO) may use the operating channel indicated during group ownernegotiation, if available. The peer-to-peer client may connect to thepeer-to-peer group owner to obtain credentials. If the operating channelis not available the peer-to-peer group owner may use another channelfrom a channel list attribute sent in the group owner negotiationconfirmation frame. The peer-to-peer client may have to scan to find thepeer-to-peer group owner if the intended operating channel is notavailable. A group formation bit in a peer-to-peer group capabilitybitmap of the peer-to-peer capability attribute may be set to one untilprovisioning succeeds.

Provisioning may be executed in Wi-Fi Direct networks, as described, forexample, in the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) Specification, Version2.0, Dec. 20, 2010. The peer-to-peer group owner (GO) may serve the roleas the access point with an internal registrar. It will only allowassociation by the peer-to-peer device that it is currently with in agroup formation. Since the user has entered the WSC PIN or triggered theWSC pushbutton functionality on both devices, the registrar may send anM2 message in response to an M1 message. The peer-to-peer client mayserve the role as the STA enrollee. It may associate to the peer-to-peerdevice that it is currently with in the group formation.

If provisioning fails, then group formation ends and the peer-to-peergroup owner (GO) may end the peer-to-peer group session. If provisioningfails, the peer-to-peer device may retry group formation or return todevice discovery. On successful completion of provisioning in Wi-FiDirect networks, the peer-to-peer group owner (GO) may set the groupformation bit in the peer-to-peer group capability bitmap of thepeer-to-peer capability attribute to zero. At this point thepeer-to-peer client may join the peer-to-peer group in the Wi-Fi Directnetwork, using the credentials supplied during provisioning.

D. Near-Field Communication (NFC) Technology

One of the methods provided by the Wi-Fi Simple ConfigurationSpecification, Version 2.0, is the Near-Field Communication (NFC)method, in which the user brings a new wireless client device (STA)close to an access point (AP) or Registrar of the Network to allow nearfield communication between the devices.

Near field communication technologies, such as radio frequencyidentification (RFID) technologies, comprise a range of RF transmissionsystems, for example standardized and proprietary systems for a largenumber of different purposes, such as product tagging for inventoryhandling and logistics, theft prevention purposes at the point of sale,and product recycling at the end of the life-cycle of the taggedproduct. In addition to RFID technologies, Near Field Communication(NFC) technology has recently evolved from a combination of existingcontactless identification and interconnection technologies. NFC is botha “read” and “write” technology. Communication between twoNFC-compatible devices occurs when they are brought within closeproximity of each other: A simple wave or touch can establish an NFCconnection, which is then compatible with other known wirelesstechnologies, such as BLUETOOTH protocol or wireless local area network(WLAN).

Near-field communication (NFC) technology used in the Wi-Fi ProtectedSetup (WPS) standard, communicates between two NFC Devices or between anNFC device And an NFC Tag via magnetic field induction, where two loopantennas are located within each other's near field, effectivelyenergizing a wireless contact by forming an air-core transformer. Anexample NFC radio operates within the unlicensed radio frequency ISMband of 13.56 MHz, with a bandwidth of approximately 2 MHz over atypical distance of a few centimeters. The NFC radio may be affixed to anew wireless client device (STA) and the user brings the NFC radio onthe device close to an access point (AP) or Registrar of the Network toallow near field communication between the devices.

NFC technology is an extension of the ISO/IEC 14443 proximity-cardstandard (incorporated herein by reference) for contactless smartcardsand radio frequency ID (RFID) devices, which combines the interface of acontactless smartcard and a reader into a single device, and uses theISO/IEC 18092 NFC communication standard (incorporated herein byreference) to enable two-way communication. An NFC radio may communicatewith both existing ISO/IEC 14443 contactless smartcards and readers, aswell as with other NFC devices by using ISO/IEC 18092. The NFC Forum™, anon-profit industry association, has released specifications that enabledifferent operation modes called: tag emulation, read/write mode, andpeer to peer communication. Furthermore, NFC Forum has definedspecifications for NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), NFC Tag Types, NFCRecord Type Definition, and Connection Handover Specification. See, forexample, Connection Handover Technical Specification, NFC Forum™,Connection Handover 1.2, NFCForum-TS-ConnectionHandover 1.2, 2010-07-07(incorporated herein by reference). The ISO/IEC 18092 standard definescommunication modes for Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol(NFCIP-1) using inductively coupled devices operating at the centerfrequency of 13.56 MHz for interconnection of computer peripherals. TheISO/IEC 18092 standard specifies modulation schemes, codings, transferspeeds and frame format of the RF interface, initialization schemes,conditions required for data collision control during initialization,and a transport protocol including protocol activation and data exchangemethods.

The basic handover to a WLAN carrier stores WLAN parameters andcredentials on NFC Forum Tags as part of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS).The information is stored in the payload of an NFC Data Exchange Format(NDEF) record identified by the mime-type “application/vnd.wfa.wsc”,known as the “WPS Record”. The wireless LAN parameters and credentialsinformation provided inside a WPS Record includes the IEEE 802.11Service Set Identifier (SSID), authentication and encryption typedeployed by the wireless network, the secret network key that a wirelessstation needs to authenticate with the network, and the MAC address ofthe device receiving the configuration (if unknown, this address is setto all-zeros). The Wi-Fi Protected Setup specification 1.0 uses the term“Registrar” for a device that is able to provide WLAN credentials and“Enrollee” for a device that wants to join a wireless network.

In the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration Specification, Version 2.0, Dec. 20,2010, a Handover Requester with Wi-Fi capability may format an NFCHandover Request Message in the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), whichindicates that the requester is an IEEE 802.11 device, but which doesnot include any configuration information. A Handover Request may besent via the NFC link in at least two scenarios: [1] the requester maynot have yet joined a wireless domain or [2] even if the requester isalready member of a WLAN network, a peer device may be in a differentnetwork and thus a Connection Handover is required to obtain the peerdevice's credentials. In the Wi-Fi Protected Setup specification 2.0,the Handover Selector would deduce from this message that the HandoverRequester supports a Wi-Fi certified IEEE 802.11 radio. In the Wi-FiProtected Setup specification 2.0, if the Handover Selector is a Wi-Fidevice with wireless connectivity, it should respond with an NFCHandover Select Message in the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), with aconfiguration record that includes credentials, such as network index,SSID, authentication type, encryption type, network key, and MACaddress.

The NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) specification, NFC Forum DataExchange Format (NDEF) Specification, NFC Forum™, 2006 (incorporatedherein by reference), defines a common data format for NFC devices toexchange application or service specific data. An NDEF message isconstructed of a number of NDEF records, with the first and the lastrecord providing message begin and end markers. Between two NFC Devices,NDEF messages may be exchanged over the NFC Logical Link ControlProtocol (LLCP) protocol, specified in NFC Forum Logical Link ControlProtocol Specification, NFC Forum™, 2009 (incorporated herein byreference). The NFC Connection Handover specification, NFC ForumConnection Handover Specification, NFC Forum™, 2010-07-07 (incorporatedherein by reference), defines the exchange of NDEF messages between twoNFC Devices in a negotiated handover to discover and negotiatealternative wireless communication technologies.

The Handover Requester in the Wi-Fi Protected Setup specification 2.0,would then typically use the SSID and Network Key to enroll on the sameWi-Fi network to which the Handover Selector is connected. Furtheractions depend on the provision of an IP address identifying theHandover Selector, the available services, and the Handover Requester'sintended activity.

E. Power Save Control for Tethering Connections

A hotspot may be a location that offers Internet access via one or moreWLAN access points installed at the location. For example, stationaryhotspots in coffee shops and other public places may offer free accessto the Internet, up to a maximum number of users. A mobile hotspot maybe a mobile telephone or smartphone that has WLAN communicationcapability and serves as a WLAN gateway to the cellular telephonenetwork. The mobile hotspot enables other WLAN-capable devices that aretethered to the mobile hotspot, to relay their traffic via the WLANconnection and the cellular telephone network, to the Internet. Themobile hotspot may also relay traffic between tethered devices.

Setting up the WLAN tethering option in a smartphone may requireassigning an SSID network name and passkey for the smartphone and thesmartphone may automatically issue an IP address. Then, to connectanother WLAN-capable device as a tethered device via a WLAN connectionto the smartphone, the SSID, passkey, and IP address may need to beentered into the tethered device.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention, theconfiguration of the WLAN tethering connections with the SSID andpasskeys may be automatically set up in a user friendly manner, so thatthat the user does not need to enter set up data into any other of theWLAN-capable devices.

WLAN tethering may consume significant power in a mobile hotspot device,since the device may need to stay active as a gateway device for otherclient devices, even if there is no ongoing data traffic or other clientdevices. Further, the mobile hotspot device may need to transmit beaconsregularly to maintain connections, wasting the device's battery power.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention, to minimizepower consumption in the mobile hotspot device, a control connection isinitially established between the mobile hotspot device and the clientwireless device using an out-of-band communications connection in anout-of-band communications medium, such as BLUETOOTH protocol, BLUETOOTHLow Energy, or Near Field Communications. The mobile hotspot device andthe client wireless device may then exchange over the control channel,in-band communications connectivity configuration information, such asIEEE 802.11 WLAN tethering connections with the SSID and passkeys. Themobile hotspot device and the client wireless device may furtherexchange over the control channel, in-band communications connectivityconfiguration information to enable power saving features and optimizeactivity times in an in-band communications tethering connection withthe wireless device in an in-band communications medium, such as IEEE802.11 WLAN. In this manner the mobile hotspot device A may relaycommunications between the wireless device B and a wide areacommunications network, such as a cellular telephone network, and enableWLAN power save features of the WLAN tethering connection. The mobilehotspot device A may also relay communications between devices connectedto the mobile hotspot device.

FIG. 1 is an example network diagram of a mobile wireless hotspot deviceA with its BLUETOOTH protocol circuit 14A and the other wireless deviceB with its BLUETOOTH protocol circuit 14B, exchanging information 50that may be required to create a BLUETOOTH protocol control channelconnection between the mobile hotspot device A and the wireless deviceB. The devices may exchange the BLUETOOTH protocol MAC address of thehotspot device, the BLUETOOTH protocol MAC address of the wirelessdevice, BLUETOOTH protocol pairing information, and shared secret forestablishing the control channel, in accordance with example embodimentsof the invention. If the BLUETOOTH protocol control channel connectionsetup requires authentication, link keys may be initially exchangedusing a Near Field Communications link, for example, with an NFC DataExchange Format (NDEF) configuration record that includes the link keys.As a result, setting up the WLAN tethering option in a smartphone and intethered wireless devices may be performed as a part of the initialdevice set-up, requiring minimal user involvement.

The figure shows two stationary hotspot access points AP1 and AP2 atfixed locations, connected to the Internet 46. When the other wirelessdevice B is within communication range of at least one of the stationaryhotspot access points AP1 or AP2, it may use that stationary accesspoint within range to access the Internet 46. If the other wirelessdevice B moves beyond the communication range of any of the stationaryhotspot access points AP1 and AP2, the other wireless device B may stillbe able to access the internet 46 by becoming tethered over a WLANconnection to the mobile hotspot device A. The mobile hotspot device Amay serve as a WLAN gateway to the cellular base station 18, cellulartelephone network 39, internet gateway 44, and Internet 46. The mobilehotspot device A may then relay the communications traffic of the otherwireless device B, via the WLAN tethering connection between the devicesA and B, and via the cellular telephone network 39 and internet gateway44, to the Internet 39.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the devices may exchangethe BLUETOOTH protocol MAC address of the hotspot device, the BLUETOOTHprotocol MAC address of the wireless device, BLUETOOTH protocol pairinginformation, and shared secret for establishing the control channel, viathe cellular telephone network connected to a server that provides thisinformation.

FIG. 1A is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1, establishing theBLUETOOTH protocol control channel 52 between the BLUETOOTH protocolcircuit 14A and the BLUETOOTH protocol circuit 14B, in accordance withexample embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1A,

In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention, requestmessage 54 may request a tethering connection requesting the mobilehotspot device A to relay communications between wireless device B, viacellular base station 18 and Internet 46, to either the social networkserver 36 or the other network server 37. Request message 54 may requesta tethering connection requesting the mobile hotspot device A to relaycommunications between wireless device B, via cellular base station 18and over one or more cellular wireless connections 19 to one or morewireless devices C. Request message 54 may request a tetheringconnection requesting the mobile hotspot device A to relaycommunications between wireless device B and over one or more WLANconnections 13 to one or more wireless devices D connected to thehotspot device A. The figure shows a second WLAN circuit 12′ on themobile hotspot device A, shown to clarify the description of the WLANconnection 13 to the wireless device D, however, the mobile hotspotdevice A may accomplish its WLAN communications with the single WLANcircuit 12.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspotdevice A may receive a request from the client wireless device D over aBLUETOOTH protocol control channel between BLUETOOTH protocol circuits14D and 14A, for a WLAN tethering connection for relaying by the mobilehotspot device A, communications between the wireless device D and oneor more entities in at least one of the cellular telephone network 18and a wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot deviceA, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1C is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1B, exchanging over theBLUETOOTH protocol control channel 52, WLAN connectivity configurationinformation 56. The mobile hotspot device A and the client wirelessdevice B may exchange over the control channel 52, by at least one oftransmitting or receiving in-band communications connectivityconfiguration information, such as IEEE 802.11 WLAN tetheringconnections with the SSID and passkeys, a required authenticationprocedure, the public key of the mobile hotspot device A, available datarates, available data throughput, a required site blacklist for virusprotection, and the like.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention, the mobilehotspot device A and the wireless device B may further exchange over theBLUETOOTH protocol control channel 52, by at least one of transmittingor receiving in-band communications connectivity configurationinformation to enable power saving features and optimize activity timesin the in-band communications tethering connection with the wirelessdevice in an in-band communications medium, such as IEEE 802.11 WLAN.Example power saving features may include scheduled sleep and awakeperiods wherein both the mobile hotspot device A and the wireless deviceB observe substantially the same sleep and awake periods. Controlinformation may also be exchanged to optimize the timing of the sleepand awake periods in the WLAN tethering connection, in accordance withexample embodiments of the invention.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspotdevice A and the client wireless device D may exchange over a BLUETOOTHprotocol control channel between BLUETOOTH protocol circuits 14D and14A, by at least one of transmitting or receiving in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information, such as IEEE 802.11 WLANtethering connections with the SSID and passkeys, a requiredauthentication procedure, the public key of the mobile hotspot device A,available data rates, available data throughput, a required siteblacklist for virus protection, and the like. The mobile hotspot deviceA and the wireless device D may further exchange over the BLUETOOTHprotocol control channel between BLUETOOTH protocol circuits 14D and14A, by at least one of transmitting or receiving in-band communicationsconnectivity configuration information to enable power saving featuresand optimize activity times in the in-band communications tetheringconnection with the wireless device in an in-band communications medium,such as IEEE 802.11 WLAN, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 1D is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1C, establishing theWLAN tethering connection 58 between the WLAN circuit 12A of the mobilewireless hotspot A and the WLAN circuit 12B of the wireless device B.The figure shows the transitioning, by the mobile hotspot device A, froma WLAN idle state to a WLAN active state, using the power savingfeatures and optimized activity times for the WLAN tethering connection58, in response to receiving the request 54 over the BLUETOOTH protocolcontrol channel 52, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspotdevice A and the client wireless device D may establish a WLAN tetheringconnection between the WLAN circuit 12A′ of the mobile wireless hotspotA and the WLAN circuit 12D of the wireless device B, in response toreceiving the request over the BLUETOOTH protocol control channelbetween BLUETOOTH protocol circuits 14D and 14A, in accordance withexample embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1E is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1D, exchanging messagesfor adjustments 59 in the WLAN connectivity configuration information tomodify at least one of the power saving features and optimized activitytimes in the WLAN tethering connection 58, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the invention. WLAN traffic 75 from the wireless device Bis shown being relayed by the mobile hotspot device A from its cellphone circuit 18A as the relayed traffic 75′ to the antenna 17 of thecellular base station 18. The cellular base station 18 passes thetraffic on to the telephone network 39, and internet gateway 44 to theInternet 46, towards a destination server 36, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the invention. The destination server 36 may be a socialnetwork server connected to the Internet 46.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspotdevice A and the client wireless device D may exchange over a BLUETOOTHprotocol control channel between BLUETOOTH protocol circuits 14D and14A, messages for adjustments in the WLAN connectivity configurationinformation to modify at least one of the power saving features andoptimized activity times in the WLAN tethering connection between theWLAN circuit 12A′ of the mobile wireless hotspot A and the WLAN circuit12D of the wireless device B, in accordance with example embodiments ofthe invention.

FIG. 1F is an example network diagram of the mobile wireless hotspotdevice A of FIG. 1E, transitioning from the WLAN active state to theWLAN idle state of the WLAN tethering connection, when no requests arereceived from any wireless device, for a WLAN tethering connection forrelaying by the mobile hotspot device A, communications between the anywireless device and the cellular telephone network 18, in accordancewith example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1G is an example flow diagram 100 of the operation of the mobilehot spot device A, wherein tethering is active in step 102 until hereare no active clients as determined in step 104. If there are no activeclients, then the mobile hot spot A goes into the idle state in step 106and may check that its BLUETOOTH protocol control radio 14A is turned onand that all connected clients support the power save feature. Afterreceiving a tethering request from a client in step 108, the mobile hotspot A turns on mobile tethering in s102 and may also inform the clientthat it is up and running, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 2A is an example functional block diagram of the mobile wirelesshotspot device A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 1D, exchangingadjustments 59 in the WLAN connectivity configuration information overthe BLUETOOTH protocol control channel 52, to modify at least one of thepower saving features and optimized activity times in the WLAN tetheringconnection 58, in accordance with example embodiments of the invention.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, mobile hotspot deviceA further includes an NFC reader/writer 16A, a BLUETOOTH protocoltransceiver 14A, a IEEE 802.11 WLAN transceiver 12A, and a cellulartelephone transceiver 18A. The cellular telephone transceiver 18A may bebased on Wide Area (WAN) communications protocols that include GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio service(GPRS), Enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), Evolution-DataOptimized (EV-DO), and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA).

In an example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspot device Amay be a device having an overall function as a PDA, cell phone, laptopor palmtop computer, or the like. The mobile hotspot device A includes aprocessor 20 that includes a single core, dual core or multi-corecentral processing unit (CPU_1 and CPU_2), a random access memory (RAM),a read only memory (ROM), and interface circuits to interface withcircuits, such as a cell phone radio, a battery and other power sources,key pad, touch screen, display, microphone, speakers, ear pieces, cameraor other imaging devices, etc. in the device A. The RAM and ROM may beremovable memory devices 126 such as smart cards, SIMs, WIMs,semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, PROMS, flash memory devices,etc., as shown in FIG. 4. The IEEE 802.11 MAC and PHY 12A, provide themedium access control and radio for IEEE 802.11 WLAN communications. Themobile hotspot device A may include a user interface such as a key padand a location detection device such as the global positioning system(GPS). Device A may measure its location by the GPS, by cellulartelephone Cell-ID sensed by the wide area wireless transceiver 18A, orby WLAN signals sensed by the IEEE 801.11 transceiver 12A, for example.With reference to FIG. 2B, the other wireless device B has similarcomponents to mobile hotspot device A in FIG. 2A.

In an example embodiment of the invention, the mobile hotspot device Amay include the connectivity management system 28A, to read devicecapabilities of the mobile hotspot device A. The connectivity managementsystem 28A may generate the user specific device connectivityconfigurations to enable the other wireless device B, to automaticallyconnect to the mobile hotspot device A as a tethered wireless device,the connectivity configurations including a specification of a WLANtethering connection having a network name (SSID) and passkey.

FIG. 2B is an example functional block diagram of the mobile wirelesshotspot device A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 2A, exchangingadjustments 59′ in the WLAN connectivity configuration information overthe Near Field Communications (NFC) control channel via the NFCreader/writer 16A and NFC reader/writer 16B, to modify at least one ofthe power saving features and optimized activity times in the WLANtethering connection 58, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention. In an example embodiment of the invention, the mobilewireless hotspot device A and the other wireless device B of FIG. 2A,may exchange adjustments 59′ in the WLAN connectivity configurationinformation over another local connectivity channel having low power.

In an example embodiment of the invention, the connectivity managementsystem 28A in the mobile hotspot device A, may read device capabilitiesmobile hotspot device A. The connectivity management system 28A maygenerate user specific device connectivity configurations to enable aother wireless device B, to automatically connect to the mobile hotspotdevice A as a tethered wireless device, the connectivity configurationsincluding specification of a WLAN tethering connection having a networkname and passkey. The connectivity management system 28A may receivefrom the other wireless device B, a WLAN tethering connection requestbased on the user specific device connectivity configurations.

In an example embodiment of the invention, the other wireless device Bmay exchange information directly with the mobile hotspot device A via ashort range communications link, such as the BLUETOOTH protocol (orBLUETOOTH Low Energy) circuits 14A and 14B or the Near FieldCommunications (NFC) reader/writer circuits 16A and 16B.

FIG. 3A is an example flow diagram 300 of the process performed bymobile hotspot device A, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention. The steps of the flow diagram represent computer codeinstructions stored in the RAM and/or ROM memory of the mobile hotspotdevice A, which when executed by the central processing units (CPU),carry out the functions of the example embodiments of the invention. Thesteps may be carried out in another order than shown and individualsteps may be combined or separated into component steps. Additionalsteps may be included in this sequence. The steps of the example methodare as follows.

Step 302: establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channelwith a wireless device, using an out-of-band communications connectionin an out-of-band communications medium; and

Step 304: exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the controlchannel, with the wireless device, by at least one of transmitting orreceiving in-band communications connectivity configuration informationto enable power saving features and optimize activity times in anin-band communications tethering connection with the wireless device inan in-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspotdevice, communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network and awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

FIG. 3B is an example flow diagram 350 of the process performed by theother wireless device B, in accordance with example embodiments of theinvention. The steps of the flow diagram represent computer codeinstructions stored in the RAM and/or ROM memory of the other wirelessdevice B, which when executed by the central processing units (CPU),carry out the functions of the example embodiments of the invention. Thesteps may be carried out in another order than shown and individualsteps may be combined or separated into component steps. Additionalsteps may be included in this sequence. The steps of the example methodare as follows.

Step 352: establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with amobile hotspot device, using an out-of-band communications connection inan out-of-band communications medium; and

Step 354: exchanging, by the wireless device over the control channel,with the mobile hotspot device, by at least one of transmitting orreceiving in-band communications connectivity configuration informationto enable power saving features and optimize activity times in anin-band communications tethering connection with the mobile hotspotdevice in an in-band communications medium, for relaying by the mobilehotspot device, communications between the wireless device and one ormore entities in at least one of a wide area communications network anda wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of the invention, whereinexamples of removable storage media 126 are shown, based on magnetic,electronic and/or optical technologies, such as magnetic disks, opticaldisks, semiconductor memory circuit devices and micro-SD memory cards(SD refers to the Secure Digital standard) for storing data and/orcomputer program code as an example computer program product, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

In an alternate example embodiment of the invention, RFID transpondersmay be used in devices A and B, which may be the passive type or theactive type, instead of the NFC transponders. A passive RFID transponderrequires no internal power source to communicate with an RFID reader,and is only active when it is near an RFID reader that energizes thetransponder with a continuous radio frequency signal at a resonantfrequency of the antenna. The small electrical current induced in theantenna by the continuous radio frequency signal provides enough powerfor an integrated circuit in the transponder to power up and transmit amodulated response, typically by backscattering the continuous carrierwave from the RFID reader. A passive RFID transponder may includewritable electrically erasable, programmable, read-only memory (EEPROM)for storing data received from the RFID reader, which modulates thecontinuous carrier wave sent by the RFID reader. Reading distances forpassive RFID transponders typically range from a few centimeters to afew meters, depending on the radio frequency and antenna design. Bycontrast, active RFID transponders require a power source to receive andtransmit information with an RFID reader. The RFID transponder may beaffixed to or integrated with the wireless device A and device B and theuser brings the RFID transponder on the device A close to an RFID readercircuit in device B to allow near field communication between thedevices. In example embodiments, both devices A and B may have RFIDreader circuits to read RFID signals from the other device.

In an example embodiment, the wireless transceiver carrier in device Aand device B may be a suitable short-range communications protocol, suchas Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Near Field Communication(NFC), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), or Ultra Wide Band (UWB), forexample.

An example of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) out-of-bandshort-range carrier is described, for example, ISO 11785 (air interfaceprotocol), ISO 14443 (air interface protocol), and ISO 15693,incorporated herein by reference.

An example of the Near Field Communication (NFC) out-of-band short-rangecarrier is described, for example, in ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 18092,incorporated herein by reference.

An example of the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) out-of-bandshort-range carrier is described, for example, in IrDA Link AccessProtocol, v1.1 (1996), incorporated herein by reference.

An example of the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) out-of-band short-range carrieris described, for example, in WiMedia Common Radio PlatformSpecification, Version 1.5 (2010), incorporated herein by reference.

In example embodiments, the wireless transceiver carrier in device A anddevice B may be a suitable communications protocol, such as a VehicleArea (WVAN) communications protocol, Wireless Video Networks (WVAN-TV)communications protocol, Personal Area (WPAN) communications protocol,Local Area (WLAN) communications protocol, or Wide Area (WAN)communications protocol, using the standard procedures and primitivesdefined by the respective standards. Personal Area (WPAN) communicationsprotocols include BLUETOOTH protocol BR/EDR, BLUETOOTH protocol LowEnergy, Wireless USB (WUSB), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee (IEEE802.15.4, or IEEE 802.15.4a) for short range communication betweendevices. Local Area (WLAN) communications protocols include IEEE 802.11,digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) and HIPERLAN. WideArea (WAN) communications protocols include Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), General Packet Radio service (GPRS), Enhanced datarates for GSM evolution (EDGE), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), andWideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA).

Using the description provided herein, the embodiments may beimplemented as a machine, process, or article of manufacture by usingstandard programming and/or engineering techniques to produceprogramming software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof.

Any resulting program(s), having computer-readable program code, may beembodied on one or more computer-usable media such as resident memorydevices, smart cards or other removable memory devices, or transmittingdevices, thereby making a computer program product or article ofmanufacture according to the embodiments. As such, the terms “article ofmanufacture” and “computer program product” as used herein are intendedto encompass a computer program that exists permanently or temporarilyon any computer-usable medium or in any transmitting medium whichtransmits such a program.

As indicated above, memory/storage devices include, but are not limitedto, disks, optical disks, removable memory devices such as smart cards,SIMs, WIMs, semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, PROMS, etc.Transmitting mediums include, but are not limited to, transmissions viawireless communication networks, the Internet, intranets,telephone/modem-based network communication, hardwired/cabledcommunication network, satellite communication, and other stationary ormobile network systems/communication links.

Although specific example embodiments have been disclosed, a personskilled in the art will understand that changes can be made to thespecific example embodiments without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: establishing, by amobile hotspot device, a control channel with a wireless device, using aBluetooth™ communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium, wherein said establishing of the control channel with thewireless device comprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™communications medium or via a wide area network connected to a server,at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobilehotspot device, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, and shared secret information;exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the control channel, withthe wireless device, WLAN communications connectivity configurationinformation to enable power saving in a WLAN communications tetheringconnection with the wireless device in a WLAN communications medium, forrelaying by the mobile hotspot device, communications between thewireless device and one or more entities in at least one of a wide areacommunications network and a wireless local area network provided by themobile hotspot device; and exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device overthe control channel, with the wireless device, at least one of scheduledsleep and awake periods wherein both the mobile hotspot device and thewireless device observe substantially same sleep and awake periods andinformation of the sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection.
 2. The method of claim 1 25, further comprising: receiving,by the mobile hotspot device, over the control channel, a request fromthe wireless device for a WLAN communications tethering connection forrelaying by the mobile hotspot device, communications between thewireless device and a wide area communications network; performing, bythe mobile hotspot device, said exchanging over the control channel,with the wireless device, of the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information, in response to receiving the request; andtransitioning, by the mobile hotspot device, from a WLAN communicationsidle state to a WLAN communications active state using the power savingfor the WLAN communications tethering connection, in response toreceiving the request.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device, over the control channel, withthe wireless device, adjustments in the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information to modify at least one of the power saving inthe WLAN communications tethering connection with the wireless device.4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: transitioning, by themobile hotspot device, from the WLAN communications active state to theWLAN communications idle state of the WLAN communications tetheringconnection, when no requests are received from any wireless device, fora WLAN communications tethering connection for relaying by the mobilehotspot device, communications between the any wireless device and awide area communications network.
 5. The method of claim 1 25, whereinthe Bluetooth™ communications connection is one of a Bluetooth™, aBluetooth™ Low Energy, or a Near Field Communications connection and theWLAN communications tethering connection is a WLAN connection or anotherlocal connectivity channel having low power.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium with the wirelessdevice or via a wide area network connected to a server, at least one ofa Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the hotspot device, aBluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™pairing information, and shared secret information, for saidestablishing of the control channel with the wireless device.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: exchanging, by the mobile hotspotdevice over the control channel, with the wireless device, at least oneof IEEE 802.11 WLAN tethering connections with an SSID and passkeys, arequired authentication procedure, a public key of the mobile hotspot,available data rates, available data throughput, and a required siteblacklist for virus protection, to enable power saving features andoptimize activity times in a WLAN communications tethering connectionwith the wireless device in a WLAN communications medium.
 8. A method,comprising: establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channelwith a wireless device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection ina Bluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, and shared secret information; exchanging, by the mobilehotspot device over the control channel, with the wireless device, WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to enable powersaving features in a WLAN communications tethering connection with thewireless device in a WLAN communications medium, for relaying by themobile hotspot device, communications between the wireless device andone or more entities in at least one of a wide area communicationsnetwork and a wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspotdevice; reading, by a connectivity management system in the mobilehotspot device, device capabilities of the mobile hotspot device;generating, by the connectivity management system in the mobile hotspotdevice, the WLAN communications connectivity configuration informationto enable the wireless device to connect to the mobile hotspot device asa tethered wireless device, the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information including specification of the WLAN tetheringconnection having a network name and passkey; and receiving, by theconnectivity management system in the mobile hotspot device, via theBluetooth™ communications medium from the wireless device, a WLANtethering connection request based on the WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information.
 9. An apparatus, comprising: atleast one processor; at least one memory including computer programcode; the at least one memory and the computer program code configuredto, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:establish a control channel with a wireless device, using a Bluetooth™communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communications medium, whereinsaid establishing of the control channel with the wireless devicecomprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium or via a wide area network connected to a server, at least one ofa Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, aBluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™pairing information, and shared secret information; exchange over thecontrol channel, with the wireless device, WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information to enable power saving in a WLANcommunications tethering connection with the wireless device in a WLANcommunications medium, for relaying by the apparatus, communicationsbetween the wireless device and one or more entities in at least one ofa wide area communications network and a wireless local area networkprovided by the apparatus; and exchange over the control channel, withthe wireless device, at least one of scheduled sleep and awake periodswherein both the apparatus and the wireless device observe substantiallysame sleep and awake periods and information for timing of the sleep andawake periods in a WLAN tethering connection.
 10. The apparatus of claim9, further comprising: the at least one memory and the computer programcode configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatusat least to: receive over the control channel, a request from thewireless device for a WLAN communications tethering connection forrelaying by the apparatus, communications between the wireless deviceand a wide area communications network; perform said exchanging over thecontrol channel, with the wireless device, of the WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information, in response to receiving therequest; and transition from a WLAN communications idle state to a WLANcommunications active state using the power saving for the WLANcommunications tethering connection, in response to receiving therequest.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: the at leastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: exchange over thecontrol channel, with the wireless device, adjustments in the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to modify at leastone of the power saving in the WLAN communications tethering connectionwith the wireless device.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, furthercomprising: the at least one memory and the computer program codeconfigured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus atleast to: transition from the WLAN communications active state to theWLAN communications idle state of the WLAN communications tetheringconnection, when no requests are received from any wireless device, fora WLAN communications tethering connection for relaying by theapparatus, communications between the any wireless device and a widearea communications network.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein theBluetooth™ communications connection is one of a Bluetooth, a BluetoothLow Energy, or a Near Field Communications connection and the WLANcommunications tethering connection is a WLAN connection or anotherlocal connectivity channel having low power.
 14. The apparatus of claim9, further comprising: the at least one memory and the computer programcode configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatusat least to: exchange via at least one of the Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium with the wireless device or via a wide area network connected toa server, at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of thehotspot device, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, and shared secret information,for said establishing of the control channel with the wireless device.15. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; at least onememory including computer program code; the at least one memory and thecomputer program code configured to, with the at least one processor,cause the apparatus at least to: establish a control channel with awireless device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection in aBluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, and shared secret information; exchange over the controlchannel, with the wireless device, WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information to enable power saving in a WLANcommunications tethering connection with the wireless device in a WLANcommunications medium, for relaying by the apparatus, communicationsbetween the wireless device and one or more entities in at least one ofa wide area communications network and a wireless local area networkprovided by the apparatus; read, by a connectivity management system inthe apparatus, device capabilities of the apparatus; generate, by theconnectivity management system in the apparatus, the WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information to enable the wireless device toconnect to the apparatus as a tethered wireless device, the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information includingspecification of the WLAN tethering connection having a network name andpasskey; and receive, by the connectivity management system in theapparatus, via the Bluetooth™ communications medium from the wirelessdevice, a WLAN tethering connection request based on the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information.
 16. A computerprogram product comprising computer executable program code recorded ona non-transitory computer readable non-transitory storage medium, thecomputer executable program code comprising: code for establishing, by amobile hotspot device, a control channel with a wireless device, using aBluetooth™ communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium, wherein said establishing of the control channel with thewireless device comprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™communications medium or via a wide area network connected to a server,at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobilehotspot device, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, and shared secret information;code for exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the controlchannel, with the wireless device, WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information to enable power saving in a WLANcommunications tethering connection with the wireless device in a WLANcommunications medium, for relaying by the mobile hotspot device,communications between the wireless device and one or more entities inat least one of a wide area communications network and a wireless localarea network provided by the mobile hotspot device; and code forexchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the control channel, withthe wireless device, at least one of scheduled sleep and awake periodswherein both the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device observesubstantially same sleep and awake periods and information for the sleepand awake periods in a WLAN tethering connection.
 17. A method,comprising: establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with amobile hotspot device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection in aBluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, and shared secret information; exchanging, by the wirelessdevice over the control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to enable powersaving in a WLAN communications tethering connection with the mobilehotspot device in a WLAN communications medium, for relaying by themobile hotspot device, communications between the wireless device andone or more entities in at least one of a wide area communicationsnetwork and a wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspotdevice; and exchanging, by the wireless device over the control channel,with the mobile hotspot device, at least one of scheduled sleep andawake periods wherein both the mobile hotspot device and the wirelessdevice observe substantially same sleep and awake periods andinformation for the sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:transmitting, by the wireless device, over the control channel, arequest to the mobile hotspot device for a WLAN communications tetheringconnection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device, communicationsbetween the wireless device and a wide area communications network;performing, by the wireless device, said exchanging over the controlchannel, with the mobile hotspot device, of the WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information; and establishing, by thewireless device, the WLAN communications tethering connection with themobile hotspot device, using the power saving for the WLANcommunications tethering connection.
 19. An apparatus, comprising: atleast one processor; at least one memory including computer programcode; the at least one memory and the computer program code configuredto, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:establish a control channel with a mobile hotspot device, using aBluetooth™ communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium, wherein said establishing of the control channel with thewireless device comprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™communications medium or via a wide area network connected to a server,at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobilehotspot device, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, and shared secret information;exchange over the control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to enable powersaving in a WLAN communications tethering connection with the mobilehotspot device in a WLAN communications medium, for relaying by themobile hotspot device, communications between the apparatus and one ormore entities in at least one of a wide area communications network anda wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device; andexchange over the control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, atleast one of scheduled sleep and awake periods wherein both the mobilehotspot device and the apparatus observe substantially same sleep andawake periods and information for the sleep and awake periods in a WLANtethering connection.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to,with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:transmit over the control channel, a request to the mobile hotspotdevice for a WLAN communications tethering connection for relaying bythe mobile hotspot device, communications between the apparatus and awide area communications network; perform said exchanging over thecontrol channel, with the mobile hotspot device, of the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information; and establish theWLAN communications tethering connection with the mobile hotspot device,using the power saving for the WLAN communications tethering connection.21. A computer program product comprising computer executable programcode recorded on a non-transitory computer readable non-transitorystorage medium, the computer executable program code comprising: codefor establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with a mobilehotspot device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection in aBluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, and shared secret information; code for exchanging, by thewireless device over the control channel, with the mobile hotspotdevice, WLAN communications connectivity configuration information toenable power saving in a WLAN communications tethering connection withthe mobile hotspot device in a WLAN communications medium, for relayingby the mobile hotspot device, communications between the wireless deviceand one or more entities in at least one of a wide area communicationsnetwork and a wireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspotdevice; and code for exchanging, by the wireless device over the controlchannel, with the mobile hotspot device, at least one of scheduled sleepand awake periods wherein both the mobile hotspot device and thewireless device observe substantially same sleep and awake periods andinformation for the sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection.
 22. A method for controlling power saving of tetheringconnections, comprising: establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, acontrol channel with a wireless device, using a Bluetooth™communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communications medium, whereinsaid establishing of the control channel with the wireless devicecomprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium or via a wide area network connected to a server, at least one ofa Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, aBluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™pairing information, or shared secret information; exchanging, by themobile hotspot device over the established control channel, with thewireless device, wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivityconfiguration information prior to establishing the WLAN tetheringconnection with the wireless device, the WLAN connectivity configurationinformation comprising at least one of a network name (SSID) or apasskey for enabling the wireless device to join a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) provided by the mobile hotspot device as a tethereddevice, and at least information regarding scheduled sleep and awakeperiods wherein both the mobile hotspot device and the wireless deviceobserve substantially same sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection between the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device;establishing, by the mobile hotspot device, the WLAN tetheringconnection with the wireless device, using the at least one of thenetwork name (SSID) or the passkey based on the WLAN connectivityconfiguration information exchanged over the control channel; andcontrolling, by the mobile hotspot device, the WLAN tethering connectionbetween the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device based on theWLAN connectivity configuration information exchanged information overthe control channel regarding the scheduled sleep and awake periods tosave power in the WLAN tethering connection when relaying communicationsbetween the wireless device and one or more entities in at least one ofa wide area communications network or a wireless local area networkprovided by the mobile hotspot device.
 23. The method of claim 22,further comprising: exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over thecontrol channel with the wireless device, at least one of IEEE 802.11WLAN tethering connections with an SSID and passkeys, a requiredauthentication procedure, a public key of the mobile hotspot, availabledata rates available data throughput, or a required site blacklist forvirus protection, to enable power saving in a WLAN communicationstethering connection with the wireless device in a WLAN communicationsmedium.
 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: controlling WLANsleep scheduling of the wireless device, while minimizing energyconsumption in the mobile hotspot device during its performing a controloperation, by establishing the Bluetooth control channel to exchangeinformation regarding the scheduled sleep and awake periods in the WLANtethering connection between the mobile hotspot device and the wirelessdevice.
 25. The method of claim 22, further comprising: exchanging, bythe mobile hotspot device, over the control channel with the wirelessdevice, adjustments in the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information to modify at least one of the power saving inthe WLAN communications tethering connection with the wireless device.26. An apparatus for controlling power saving of tethering connections,comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory includingcomputer program code; the at least one memory and the computer programcode configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatusat least to: establish a control channel with a wireless device, using aBluetooth™ communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium, wherein said establishing of the control channel with thewireless device comprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™communications medium or via a wide area network connected to a server,at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of theapparatus, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, or shared secret information;exchange over the established control channel, with the wireless device,wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivity configurationinformation prior to establishing the WLAN tethering connection with thewireless device, the WLAN connectivity configuration informationcomprising at least one of a network name (SSID) or a passkey forenabling the wireless device to join a wireless local area network(WLAN) provided by the apparatus as a tethered device, and at leastinformation regarding scheduled sleep and awake periods wherein both theapparatus and the wireless device observe substantially same sleep andawake periods in a WLAN tethering connection between the apparatus andthe wireless device; establish the WLAN tethering connection with thewireless device, using the at least one of the network name (SSID) orthe passkey based on the WLAN connectivity configuration informationexchanged over the control channel; and control the WLAN tetheringconnection between the apparatus and the wireless device based on theWLAN connectivity configuration information exchanged over the controlchannel regarding the scheduled sleep and awake periods to save power inthe WLAN tethering connection when relaying communications between thewireless device and one or more entities in at least one of a wide areacommunications network or a wireless local area network provided by theapparatus.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising: the atleast one memory and the computer program code configured to, with theat least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive overthe control channel a request from the wireless device for a WLANcommunications tethering connection for relaying by the apparatuscommunications between the wireless device and a wide areacommunications network; perform said exchanging over the control channelwith the wireless device, of the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information, in response to receiving the request; andtransition from a WLAN communications idle state to a WLANcommunications active state using the power saving for the WLANcommunications tethering connection, in response to receiving therequest.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: the at lastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: exchange over thecontrol channel, with the wireless device, adjustments in the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to modify at leastone of the power saving in the WLAN communications tethering connectionwith the wireless device.
 29. The apparatus of claim 27, furthercomprising: the at last one memory and the computer program codeconfigured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus atleast to: transition from the WLAN communications active state to theWLAN communications idle state of the WLAN communications tetheringconnection, when no requests are received from any wireless device, fora WLAN communications tethering connection for relaying by theapparatus, communications between the any wireless device and a widearea communications network.
 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein theBluetooth™ communications connection is one of a Bluetooth, a BluetoothLow Energy, or a Near Field Communications connection and the WLANcommunications tethering connection is a WLAN connection or anotherlocal connectivity channel having low power.
 31. A computer programproduct comprising computer executable program code recorded on anon-transitory computer readable non-transitory storage medium forcontrolling power saving of tethering connections, the computerexecutable program code comprising: code for establishing, by a mobilehotspot device, a control channel with a wireless device, using aBluetooth™ communications connection in a Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium, wherein said establishing of the control channel with thewireless device comprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™communications medium or via a wide area network connected to a server,at least one of a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobilehotspot device, a Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wirelessdevice, Bluetooth™ pairing information, or shared secret information;code for exchanging, by the mobile hotspot device over the establishedcontrol channel with the wireless device, wireless local area network(WLAN) connectivity configuration information prior to establishing theWLAN tethering connection with the wireless device, the WLANconnectivity configuration information comprising at least one of anetwork name (SSID) or a passkey for enabling the wireless device tojoin a wireless local area network (WLAN) provided by the mobile hotspotdevice as a tethered device, and at least information regardingscheduled sleep and awake periods wherein both the mobile hotspot deviceand the wireless device observe substantially same sleep and awakeperiods in a WLAN tethering connection between the mobile hotspot deviceand the wireless device; establishing, by the mobile wireless device,the WLAN tethering connection with the wireless device, using the atleast one of the network name (SSID) or the passkey based on the WLANconnectivity configuration information exchanged over the controlchannel; and code for controlling, by the mobile hotspot device, theWLAN tethering connection between the mobile hotpot device and thewireless device based on the WLAN connectivity configuration informationexchanged over the control channel regarding the scheduled sleep andawake periods to save power in the WLAN tethering connection whenrelaying communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network or awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.
 32. Amethod for controlling power saving of tethering connections,comprising: establishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with amobile hotspot device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection in aBluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the mobile hotspot comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, or shared secret information; exchanging, by the wirelessdevice over the established control channel, with the mobile hotspotdevice, wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivity configurationinformation prior to establishing the WLAN tethering connection with themobile hotspot device, the WLAN connectivity configuration informationcomprising at least one of a network name (SSID) or a passkey forenabling the wireless device to join a wireless local area network(WLAN) provided by the mobile hotspot device as a tethered device, andat least information regarding scheduled sleep and awake periods whereinboth the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device observesubstantially same sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection between the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device;establishing, by the wireless device, the WLAN tethering connection withthe mobile hotspot device, using the at least one of a network name(SSID) or the passkey based on the WLAN connectivity configurationinformation exchanged over the control channel; and controlling, by thewireless device, the WLAN tethering connection between the mobilehotspot device and the wireless device based on the WLAN connectivityconfiguration information exchanged over the control channel regardingthe scheduled sleep and awake periods to save power in the WLANtethering connection when relaying communications between the wirelessdevice and one or more entities in at least one of a wide areacommunications network or a wireless local area network provided by themobile hotspot device.
 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:transmitting, by the wireless device, over the control channel, arequest to the mobile hotpot device for a WLAN communications tetheringconnection for relaying by the mobile hotspot device, communicationsbetween the wireless device and a wide area communications network;performing, by the wireless device, said exchanging over the controlchannel, with the mobile hotspot device, of the WLAN communicationsconnectivity configuration information; and establishing, by thewireless device, the WLAN communications tethering connection with themobile hotspot device, using the power saving for the WLANcommunications tethering connection.
 34. The method of claim 32, furthercomprising: controlling WLAN sleep scheduling of the mobile hotspotdevice, while minimizing energy consumption in the wireless deviceduring its performing a control operation, by establishing the Bluetoothcontrol channel to exchange information regarding the scheduled sleepand awake periods in the WLAN tethering connection between the mobilehotspot device and the wireless device.
 35. The method of claim 32,further comprising: exchanging, by the wireless device, over the controlchannel, with the mobile hotspot device, adjustments in the WLANcommunications connectivity configuration information to modify at leastone of the power saving in the WLAN communications tethering connectionwith the mobile hotspot device.
 36. An apparatus for controlling powersaving of tethering connections, comprising: at least one processor; atleast one memory including computer program code; the at least onememory and the computer program code configured to, with the at leastone processor, cause the apparatus at least to: establish a controlchannel with a mobile hotspot device, using a Bluetooth™ communicationsconnection in a Bluetooth™ communications medium, wherein saidestablishing of the control channel with the mobile hotspot devicecomprises exchanging, via at least one of the Bluetooth™ communicationsmedium or via a wide area network connected to a server, at least one ofa Bluetooth™ communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, aBluetooth™ communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™pairing information, or shared secret information; exchange over theestablished control channel, with the mobile hotspot device, wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) connectivity configuration information priorto establishing the WLAN tethering connection with the mobile hotspotdevice, the WLAN connectivity configuration information comprising atleast one of a network name (SSID) or a passkey for enabling thewireless device to join a wireless local area network (WLAN) provided bythe mobile hotspot device as a tethered device, and at least informationregarding scheduled sleep and awake periods wherein both the mobilehotspot device and the apparatus observe substantially same sleep andawake periods in a WLAN tethering connection between the mobile hotspotdevice and the wireless device; establish the WLAN tethering connectionwith the mobile hotspot device, using the at least one of the networkname (SSID) or the passkey based on the WLAN connectivity configurationinformation exchanged over the control channel; and control the WLANtethering connection between the apparatus and the mobile hotspot devicebased on the WLAN connectivity configuration information exchanged overthe control channel regarding the scheduled sleep and awake periods tosave power in the WLAN tethering connection when relaying communicationsbetween the wireless device and one or more entities in at least one ofa wide area communications network or a wireless local area networkprovided by the mobile hotspot device.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36,further comprising: the at least one memory and the computer programcode configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatusat least to: transmit over the control channel a request to the mobilehotspot device for a WLAN communications tethering connection forrelaying by the mobile hotspot device, communications between theapparatus and a wide area communications network; perform saidexchanging over the control channel with the mobile hotspot device, ofthe WLAN communications connectivity configuration information; andestablish the WLAN communications tethering connection with the mobilehotspot device, using the power saving for the WLAN communicationstethering connection.
 38. A computer program product comprising computerexecutable program code recorded on a non-transitory computer readablenon-transitory storage medium for controlling power saving of tetheringconnections, the computer executable program code comprising: code forestablishing, by a wireless device, a control channel with a mobilehotspot device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection in aBluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the mobile hotpot device comprises exchanging, viaat least one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, or shared secret information; code for exchanging, by thewireless device over the established control channel with the mobilehotspot device, wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivityconfiguration information prior to establishing the WLAN tetheringconnection with the mobile hotspot device, the WLAN connectivityconfiguration information comprising at least one of a network name(SSID) or a passkey for enabling the wireless device to join a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) provided by the mobile hotspot device as atethered device, and at least information regarding scheduled sleep andawake periods wherein both the mobile hotspot device and the wirelessdevice observe substantially same sleep and awake periods in a WLANtethering connection between the mobile hotspot device and the wirelessdevice; code for establishing, by the wireless device, the WLANtethering connection with the mobile hotspot device, using the at leastone of the network name (SSID) or the passkey based on the WLANconnectivity configuration information exchanged over the controlchannel; and code for controlling, by the wireless device, the WLANtethering connection between the mobile hotspot device and the wirelessdevice based on the WLAN connectivity configuration informationexchanged over the control channel regarding the scheduled sleep andawake periods to save power in the WLAN tethering connection whenrelaying communications between the wireless device and one or moreentities in at least one of a wide area communications network or awireless local area network provided by the mobile hotspot device.
 39. Amethod for controlling power saving of tethering connections,comprising: establishing, by a mobile hotspot device, a control channelwith a wireless device, using a Bluetooth™ communications connection ina Bluetooth™ communications medium, wherein said establishing of thecontrol channel with the wireless device comprises exchanging, via atleast one of the Bluetooth™ communications medium or via a wide areanetwork connected to a server, at least one of a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the mobile hotspot device, a Bluetooth™communications MAC address of the wireless device, Bluetooth™ pairinginformation, or shared secret information; exchanging, by the mobilehotspot device over the established control channel, with the wirelessdevice, wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivity configurationinformation prior to establishing the WLAN tethering connection with thewireless device, the WLAN connectivity configuration informationcomprising at least one of a network name (SSID) or a passkey forenabling the wireless device to join a wireless local area network(WLAN) provided by the mobile hotspot device as a tethered device, andat least information regarding scheduled sleep and awake periods whereinboth the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device observesubstantially same sleep and awake periods in a WLAN tetheringconnection between the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device;establishing, by the mobile hotspot device, the WLAN tetheringconnection with the wireless device, using the at least one of thenetwork name (SSID) or the passkey based on the WLAN connectivityconfiguration information exchanged over the control channel;controlling, by the mobile hotspot device, the WLAN tethering connectionbetween the mobile hotspot device and the wireless device based on theWLAN connectivity configuration information to the exchanged informationover the control channel regarding the scheduled sleep and awake periodsto save power in the WLAN tethering connection when relayingcommunications between the wireless device and one or more entities inat least one of a wide area communications network or a wireless localarea network provided by the mobile hotspot device; and exchanging, bythe mobile hotspot device, over the control channel, with the wirelessdevice, adjustments in the WLAN communications connectivityconfiguration information to modify at least one of the power saving inthe WLAN communications tethering connection with the wireless device.